SINGAPORE: A 19-year-old student who lied on Instagram that he had contracted COVID-19 and was going to die was sentenced to nine months' probation on Tuesday (Dec 14).
Siew Hanlong will also have to perform 40 hours of community service, and his parents put up a bond of S$5,000 to ensure his good behaviour during probation.
Siew pleaded guilty last month to two counts of knowingly transmitting a false message under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act.
He posted an image he found online of a positive PCR test on Instagram Stories at about 1am on May 23 this year. He added the caption: "Guys I got the new COVID variant bye I'm gonna die."
He also posted an image of himself in a hospital bed, with the caption: "In ICU right now farewell guys."
He was at home and did not have COVID-19, and the photo of him in hospital was from a previous admission for an unrelated incident.
Minutes after putting up the posts, Siew deleted them, but they were already seen by others.
Siew's acquaintance, a full-time national serviceman, woke up on Pulau Tekong at about 4.45am and saw his friends discussing Siew's Instagram Stories in their WhatsApp group chat.
Concerned that he could have contracted COVID-19 from Siew, he informed his superiors that he was a close contact of a COVID-19 case and forwarded them Siew's Instagram Stories, after Siew failed to reply his queries.
The NSF was told to pack his belongings, take a swab test and go home. His bunk was disinfected after he left Pulau Tekong, and the training schedule was disrupted for the day.
Siew later told him that it was a joke, and the NSF told his father and his army superiors what happened before lodging a police report.
The prosecution did not object to the calling of a probation suitability report for Siew, who was found suitable for such a sentence.
The penalty for knowingly transmitting a false message is a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.
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Siew Hanlong will also have to perform 40 hours of community service, and his parents put up a bond of S$5,000 to ensure his good behaviour during probation.
Siew pleaded guilty last month to two counts of knowingly transmitting a false message under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act.
He posted an image he found online of a positive PCR test on Instagram Stories at about 1am on May 23 this year. He added the caption: "Guys I got the new COVID variant bye I'm gonna die."
He also posted an image of himself in a hospital bed, with the caption: "In ICU right now farewell guys."
He was at home and did not have COVID-19, and the photo of him in hospital was from a previous admission for an unrelated incident.
Minutes after putting up the posts, Siew deleted them, but they were already seen by others.
Siew's acquaintance, a full-time national serviceman, woke up on Pulau Tekong at about 4.45am and saw his friends discussing Siew's Instagram Stories in their WhatsApp group chat.
Concerned that he could have contracted COVID-19 from Siew, he informed his superiors that he was a close contact of a COVID-19 case and forwarded them Siew's Instagram Stories, after Siew failed to reply his queries.
The NSF was told to pack his belongings, take a swab test and go home. His bunk was disinfected after he left Pulau Tekong, and the training schedule was disrupted for the day.
Siew later told him that it was a joke, and the NSF told his father and his army superiors what happened before lodging a police report.
The prosecution did not object to the calling of a probation suitability report for Siew, who was found suitable for such a sentence.
The penalty for knowingly transmitting a false message is a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.
Continue reading...