Pub owner used blue light to warn performers of police presence

A blue light was installed in a Circular Road pub to warn performers engaging in illicit activity about the presence of police nearby.

When it was switched on, performers had to stop all activities and move away from their customers, towards a table near the entrance.

The pub's owner, Lee Seet Khiang, 50, who had instructed his staff on the use of the light, was sentenced to six weeks' jail on Monday after pleading guilty to two charges of obstruction of justice.

Another similar charge was taken into consideration during the Malaysian's sentencing.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Tin Shu Min said in court documents that Lee, a Singaporean permanent resident, took over as the registered owner and licensee of Club Para Para in September 2019.

Lee was in charge of hiring and managing the performers at Club Para Para and another pub, Beer Inn, in nearby Lorong Telok, where he had been employed since 2012 or 2013.

On March 22, 2020, a former performer at another Circular Road pub called T.G.I.F. e-mailed the Ministry of Manpower to allege that its performers were providing sexual services to encourage customers to spend more on drinks.

Investigations into T.G.I.F. revealed that Beer Inn and Club Para Para were affiliated to it, and performers were cross-deployed across the three pubs.

Performers at Beer Inn and Club Para Para sat with or mingled with customers, with at least four at each pub providing sexual services to customers at the premises, said DPP Tin.

She also said that Lee was aware that performers in Club Para Para were sitting with or mingling with the customers, which was a breach of its public entertainment licence conditions.

In April 2019, Lee told Noraida Ghani, who had started working there as a manager, about the blue light and its purpose.

Noraida then briefed performers on what they should do when they see the blue light.

Between April 2019 and March 2020, she briefed at least seven performers about the blue light, and recalled seeing the light switched on about seven to eight times. Lee also briefed Zainabbun Abdul Jalil when she started working in the pub in mid-2019.

Zainabbun was stationed outside to welcome customers and also to switch on the blue light if she saw the police nearby. Between mid-2019 and March 2020, she switched on the blue light using a remote control about four to five times a week.

For their role in the offences, Noraida received a 12-month conditional warning while Zainabbun received a stern warning.

For each charge, Lee could have been jailed for up to seven years, fined or both.