Jannie Chan starts jail term for contempt

Prominent businesswoman Jannie Chan started serving a two-week jail term for contempt of court yesterday after losing her appeal against an order for the sentence, imposed in 2017, to take effect.

During the hearing, the 74-year-old, who argued her own case, spoke of grievances against her former husband Henry Tay, with whom she co-founded luxury watch retailer The Hour Glass. She also stressed that she was a divorced woman and was suffering from depression.

Dr Tay started contempt proceedings against her after she flouted a court order that restrained her from defaming and harassing him by sending out e-mails. The recipients included ministers, employees and her grandchildren's school teachers.

Yesterday, the Court of Appeal dismissed her arguments, saying that two weeks' jail was "rather lenient", given her "total and continued disregard for and defiance of the court's order".

Judge of Appeal Tay Yong Kwang said that despite the fact that Chan was depressed and distressed by her problems, she knew she was in contempt by sending out the e-mails. "It has been emphasised to her over and over again that this 'non-legal' route was in fact an unlawful one and that she should stop her destructive actions," said the court, which also comprised Justices Belinda Ang and Quentin Loh.

"Her recalcitrant conduct was persistent and pernicious despite the many opportunities given to her to simply stop."

After her appeal was dismissed, Chan blamed her former husband for using "legal technicalities" against her. "My daughter is in jail. I'm happy to go to jail," she said, referring to the 22-month prison term imposed on Audrey Tay May Li, 45, for drug charges last October.

Dr Tay and Chan ended their 41-year marriage in 2010. He sued her in 2014 for sending 1,265 e-mails that he said harassed him or were defamatory. The lawsuit was settled in 2016, and Chan was ordered to stop harassing and defaming Dr Tay. But she persisted in flouting the order.

Dr Tay then took out contempt proceedings against her, the third time he had taken such legal action. He dropped the case the first time after she apologised, and she was fined $30,000 the second time.

In 2017, the High Court sentenced Chan to two weeks' jail, but suspended the sentence for a year, on the condition that she stop flouting the order and attend monthly psychiatric sessions. She breached the conditions, resulting in the court lifting the suspension in April last year.