Singapore man jailed for three years for cyber-stalking

Image
IANS Singapore
Last Updated : Dec 20 2013 | 3:06 PM IST

A man in Singapore was sentenced to three years in jail Friday for cyber-stalking US singer Leandra Ramm for six years from 2005 to 2011.

Colin Mak Yew Loong, 38, had pleaded guilty to sending 31 e-mail messages to Ramm threatening to kill or harm her, Xinhua reported.

The prosecution had previously asked for a "global sentence" of between three and four years in jail as Mak has committed a total of 42 offences over a long period of time. But it proceeded on 17 charges, 14 of which were for criminal intimidation.

For criminal intimidation, he could have been jailed up to seven years and fined on each count.

Ramm's nightmare started in 2005, when she was featured on CNN and caught Mak's attention. They never met but Mak contacted her, purporting to champion her music career.

Mak began sending death threats via e-mails and voice messages to the 29-year-old singer when she stopped responding.

The harassment continued till 2011, when US authorities sought the help of Singapore police.

Mak also admitted to harassing and intimidating Hungarian musician Krasznai Tuende Ilona and Ukrainian Veronika Sakhno.

For offences that were not related to the criminal intimidation charges, Mak was given a S$5,000 ($4,000) fine and one day in jail.

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Dec 20 2013 | 3:02 PM IST

Next Story