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Man jailed, fined for sharing lewd images on Telegram chat group linked to Sammyboy forum

SINGAPORE — A 40-year-old man who shared obscene photos on a sex-themed chat group on messaging application Telegram and possessed more than 20,000 lewd photos and videos was jailed for eight weeks and fined S$22,500 on Monday (Jan 24).

Tan Yeow Chong, 40, leaving the State Courts on Jan 24, 2022.
Tan Yeow Chong, 40, leaving the State Courts on Jan 24, 2022.
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SINGAPORE — A 40-year-old man who shared obscene photos on a sex-themed chat group on messaging application Telegram and possessed more than 20,000 lewd photos and videos was jailed for eight weeks and fined S$22,500 on Monday (Jan 24).

Tan Yeow Chong pleaded guilty to one count each of possessing obscene films, obscene pictures and transmitting obscene photos on a Telegram chat group called “Sam’s lots of CB collection”.

Four other similar charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Tan was the third of four men to be dealt with by the courts over their role in the chat group, which is linked to the infamous online forum Sammyboy Forum where users discussed various matters — often related to pornography and sex.

The forum contained hyperlinks allowing users to join the Telegram group.

When Tan and the three other men were charged in court, the police said that the material circulated in the chat group included leaked sexual videos and images of women.

These also included nude photos, those of women dressed scantily or in compromising positions, and videos of sexual acts that were exploitative of the women because they circulated the materials in the group without their consent, the police added.

On Oct 24, 2019, the authorities received a report against the group and arrested the four men on Nov 6 that year.

The police seized two hard drives from Tan and found that they contained 17,219 obscene films and 5,537 obscene photos.

Investigations also revealed that Tan had shared six obscene photos on the Telegram chat group on Nov 4 to the 25,000-odd members.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Bryont Chin said that Tan did not film these materials himself. He downloaded these materials from the internet and possessed them for his “personal consumption”. 

DPP Chin asked for eight to 10 weeks’ jail and a S$21,500 to S$22,000 fine, given the large number of recipients with whom he shared the pictures and the large number of images he possessed.

Tan’s lawyer Wasiur Rehman asked for eight weeks’ jail and the same fine as the prosecution, saying that Tan is single and cares for his retired mother with whom he lives.

District Judge Melissa Tan granted Tan permission to start his sentence on Feb 21 so that Tan, a logistics coordinator in a multinational corporation, could settle his work issues.

Of the three other men involved, administrator Lincoln Anthony Fernandez, 31, was jailed for eight weeks and fined S$20,000, while Yee Wing Kay, 47, was jailed eight weeks and fined S$7,000. Wong Ming Jun, 28. has yet to be dealt with by the authorities.

Those convicted of possessing obscene films can be jailed for up to six months or fined up to S$20,000, or both, for each charge.

Those convicted of transmitting obscene materials can be jailed for up to three months or fined, or given both penalties.

Related topics

court crime Telegram Sammyboy obscene video nude photo

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