Woman gets 32 weeks’ jail after asking husband, then a cop, to find information using police tools

SINGAPORE – A woman asked her husband, who was then a police inspector, to help a man find information on his business client by using police tools in 2023.

Patrick Lim Kei Hao was reluctant to do so at first, but he complied after his wife, Jenny Pham Thi Hue, scolded him.

Lim shared the information with the man, who then tried to contact the customer over an undisclosed outstanding payment.

In a separate case, Pham also helped another woman set up digital tokens for bank accounts belonging to others.

On March 16, Pham, 40, was sentenced to 32 weeks’ jail after she pleaded guilty to an offence under the Official Secrets Act, and two charges of misusing a computer system.

Lim, then 46, was sentenced to three weeks’ jail in October 2025.

He resigned from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in June 2024.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Lu Huiyi told the court that Pham got to know Yong Yuheng, through his girlfriend Nguyen Huong Giang.

The court heard that Yong’s customer had an outstanding debt after buying some disposable food packing items.

The prosecutor said: “Pham knew that Yong needed information about someone, although she did not know the exact details that Yong needed.

“In December 2023, she asked Lim to help Yong find information using his police checks and system.”

On Dec 18 that year, Yong messaged Lim via WhatsApp, asking him to conduct a check on the customer.

He also handed Lim the customer’s mobile phone number.

The prosecutor said that as a police officer, Lim was allowed to access and use the SPF’s computer portal only for official work purposes.

Despite this, Lim did a search on the portal by keying in the phone number three days later, after Pham scolded him.

He obtained information such as the customer’s address and passed it to Yong.

Yong went to the address but could not find the customer.

He eventually managed to contact the customer via WhatsApp and settled the outstanding payment.

In an unrelated case in December 2023, Pham agreed to help Giang set up digital tokens for bank accounts.

Around April to May 2024, Giang passed her a bank card, which was linked to another person’s account, and a SIM card.

Court documents stated that on Giang’s instructions, Pham changed the mobile number tagged to the bank account to another number linked to the SIM card.

She also changed the e-mail address tagged to the account to another one that she had set up.

Pham then received a one-time password sent to the mobile phone number linked to the SIM card, allowing her to set up a digital token for the bank account.

DPP Lu said: “A critical component that allows sophisticated organised criminal groups to commit scams is offenders based in Singapore – such as Pham – who hand over control of bank accounts to syndicate members who then use these accounts to commit scams.

“Preventing scammers from using these accounts and Singpass credentials is an essential part in our fight against scams.”

For her work, Pham was supposed to receive $200 from Giang.

However, police officers seized the bank card and Pham did not receive the promised amount.

She was arrested on May 8, 2024.