In Brief: Serial conwoman jailed again

A serial conwoman who was sentenced to six years' corrective training for cheating in 2010, only to reoffend after her release, was ordered to undergo corrective training for the second time yesterday.

Chia Weven, 48, will now have to spend five years in jail. The Singaporean committed multiple counts of theft and cheating in 2017 and 2018 involving more than $19,000.

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Security officer broke Covid-19 rules

A security officer who was working in a dormitory had fever, cough, body ache and a sore throat in November last year, and was given a medical certificate (MC) for sick leave after visiting a doctor.

He was told to take a Covid-19 swab test and to stay at home until he was told the result was negative. However, Alvin Leong Jit Loong (above) did not comply, and over the next two days attended a course to become a security supervisor.

Leong, now 46, was sentenced to 24 days' jail by the court on Monday. The Singaporean - who was later found to be Covid-19-negative when he committed the offences - pleaded guilty to two charges under the Infectious Diseases (Covid-19 Stay Orders) Regulations 2020.

Although he was later found to be Covid-19 negative, District Judge Lorraine Ho said he could have exposed many people to the virus as he had taken public transport and attended a course where there were others in an enclosed space.

She added: "You are a front-line worker... You can appreciate why this is a serious matter."

For each offence, Leong could have been jailed for up to six months and fined up to $10,000.

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Man offered cash to minor for sex

A man who was sentenced to three months' jail in 2019 for attempting to obtain commercial sex from a minor did not learn his lesson and committed similar offences after he was released from prison.

In his latest offences, renovation contractor Andy Kow Yong Wen, now 45, took a 16-year-old girl to a Holland Road property where she performed oral sex on him on March 18 last year.

The Singaporean man then promised to pass her between $50 and $100 the next day. He later booked a room at a Beach Road hotel and sent the girl a text message, asking to meet her on March 19 that year.

His offences came to light when her mother saw the text message and confronted him over the phone. The court heard that in the end, he did not give any money to the girl.

Yesterday, Kow was sentenced to 15 months' jail after he pleaded guilty to offences including offering cash to an underage girl in exchange for sexual services.

Kow's bail was set at $30,000 yesterday and he was ordered to surrender himself at the State Courts on Feb 7 next year to begin serving his sentence.