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Yang Yin gets 26 months’ jail for falsifying receipts to gain PR status

SINGAPORE — Former tour guide Yang Yin is expected to find out on Friday (Sept 30) his total punishment for the criminal charges against him, after being sentenced to 26 months’ jail on Thursday for falsifying receipts to his music-and-dance school to gain permanent residency here, among other offences.

Yang Yin. Photo: Facebook

Yang Yin. Photo: Facebook

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SINGAPORE — Former tour guide Yang Yin is expected to find out on Friday (Sept 30) his total punishment for the criminal charges against him, after being sentenced to 26 months’ jail on Thursday for falsifying receipts to his music-and-dance school to gain permanent residency here, among other offences.

The 42-year-old Chinese national is due to be sentenced for two counts of criminal breach of trust for misappropriating S$1.1 million from 89-year-old Madam Chung Khin Chun.

In meting out the sentence for hundreds of falsification, immigration and cheating offences on Thursday, Deputy Presiding Judge Jennifer Marie said Yang’s offences were “without a doubt premeditated and carefully planned”.

He had deceived not only various public institutions but also the accountant he had retained to help him prepare the accounts for his school. These offences were also committed over an extended period of time, she added. 

The judge dismissed the defence’s argument that Yang be considered a first-time offender, noting that his offences happened over a protracted period of time.

His various offences “all play important supporting but complementary roles” to ensure the successful execution of his ploy to gain PR status, said Ms Marie. “In my view, this sentence adequately sends a strong signal to deter like-minded offenders that foreigners who gain entry to or remain under false pretences in Singapore should not be expected to get off with a slap on their wrists.”

While defence lawyer Irving Choh mitigated that Yang’s family would face hardships as a result of his punishment, Ms Marie said this was a “natural result of the accused committing an offence”.

“Ultimately, the accused and, regrettably, his family will have to face the consequences of disruptions to his family life owing to the due process of law,” she added.

The sentence was backdated to Oct 31, 2014, when Yang was remanded.

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