Man who threatened to distribute explicit images of ex-lover jailed

A man was yesterday sentenced to three months and three weeks' jail for offences that included threatening to distribute explicit images of a married woman he had an affair with.

The 29-year-old Singaporean offender, who cannot be named owing to a gag order to protect the 32-year-old woman's identity, was unhappy when she wanted to end the affair.

He then told her he would send photos and videos of her to her family and friends.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal intimidation and a criminal trespass charge.

The man and the woman developed a romantic relationship last September.

During their relationship, he took at least seven videos of them engaging in consensual sexual activities.

The woman had also exposed her body to him during a video call, and he had taken several screenshots of the clip.

The court heard that she was aware of his desire to film her and did not object to him doing so. She had also given him a set of keys to her private apartment.

Last November, she told the man that she wanted to end the relationship.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sunil Nair said: "The accused did not accept the victim's decision and insisted that she continued the relationship with him. Among other things, the accused threatened to hurt himself and turned up uninvited at various locations, to the surprise of the victim.

"The accused also said that he would inform the victim's family, including her husband and children, and friends, about her extramarital affair with him."

Feeling pressured, the woman responded to the man's messages but tried to avoid him as much as possible.

On Feb 3, the man went to her home unannounced despite knowing that she did not want to see him.

The woman told him to leave when he met her inside her unit. He then threatened to share the sexually explicit images with her loved ones.

The police were alerted and officers soon arrived at the condominium.

Court documents do not disclose what happened next, but the man contacted the woman again on April 4.

When she refused to meet him, he again threatened to distribute the sexually explicit images to her friends and family.

The DPP said: "The accused also told the victim that he no longer wished to hide their relationship and wished to upload the photographs that they had taken together with the victim's children on the accused's personal Instagram account.

"The victim then gave in to the accused's demand to meet him. The victim lodged a police report later that night about the accused's threat to her."

Undeterred, the man entered the woman's condominium complex again on May 10 but was caught trespassing after he was spotted loitering around her block.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 04, 2021, with the headline Man who threatened to distribute explicit images of ex-lover jailed. Subscribe