Former law professor Tey Tsun Hang arrived at the Subordinate Courts just after 9am on Monday for his sentencing.
He told The Straits Times before the start of proceedings at 9.30am that he was "distressed" by the court's judgement last Wednesday and expects to be given a six-month jail term. This after the 42-year-old was found guilty by Chief District Judge Tan Siong Thye last week, on all six counts of corruptly obtaining sex and gifts - a Mont Blanc pen, an iPod, two tailored shirts, and dinner at Garibaldi Italian Restaurant & Bar - from his former student Darinne Ko.
Tey, who was sacked by the National University of Singapore on the day he was convicted, could be jailed for up to seven years and fined up to $100,000, or given both for each charge.
Last week, Deputy Public Prosecutor Andre Jumabhoy had pushed for a minimum jail time of 12 weeks for Tey, who was also a former district judge.
He also asked for Tey to be ordered to pay $1,514.80 for two tailored shirts and dinner, and to have the pen and iPod forfeited.
The DPP had argued against Tey's mitigation plea that a "stiff fine" would suffice, as it was "unjustifiable" and would underplay his level of culpability in the offences. He added that a jail term would give Tey a chance to reflect upon his misdeeds, especially since he has displayed "not one iota of remorse" for his conduct.
He also stressed that Tey's conduct throughout the investigation and the extended sex-for-grades trial had shown him to be dishonest, pointing to his attempts to disrupt court proceedings by "feigning illness" and implicating "other innocent people".
The DPP had said: "This accused did not only demonstrate he was prepared to lie, but was prepared to lie repeatedly."
These court antics were noted by the district judge, who said, when delivering his verdict on the case, that Tey was an unreliable witness who "lied on numerous occasions" during the trial.
Tey told The Straits Times last week that his lawyer Peter Low has prepared his appeal, but he has yet to decide whether to appeal against his conviction or his sentence, or both.
