A 47-year-old Singaporean man, Nadeson Pillai Sockalingam Pillai, has been sentenced to five months’ imprisonment for subjecting a debtor to humiliating acts. His friends, Jay Shawn Fernandez and Jude Prabu Davias Pathy, who were involved in the incident, have also been charged with criminal intimidation.
The trio forced the debtor to strip naked, perform exercises, and then took him to a barber to shave his head and beard while recording the acts, according to report.
HUMILIATED FOR MONEY
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Andre Chong informed the court that Jay lent the victim approximately S$400 and they agreed that the victim would repay S$700 by March 26 of the previous year.
However, the victim only managed to repay S$200, and Jay continued to increase the amount owed, claiming it was around S$6,000 by May 13.
On the same day, Jay asked Nadeson and Jude to meet him and the victim at a bar located in Woodlands. Following the meeting, Jay instructed Nadeson and Jude to accompany him in confronting the victim for failing to repay the debt, and both Nadeson and Jude agreed.
Once at the bar, the trio took turns physically assaulting the victim, with Nadeson using a bangle to hit the victim’s cheek. Afterwards, they forced the victim to march towards a warehouse in Woodlands Industrial Estate, an incident which Jay recorded on his mobile phone.
Jay commanded the victim to remove their clothes at the warehouse. When the victim hesitated, the trio made threats of further violence, which caused the victim to feel significant fear.
Consequently, the victim complied and undressed completely.
DPP Chong, who testified in court, stated that the victim had previously been assaulted by the trio. Jay then proceeded to record the victim performing physical exercises, such as sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, and sprints, while they remained naked for a duration of three to five minutes.
Furthermore, Jay, in an attempt to deter the victim from reporting the incident to the police, warned them of publishing the recorded video online. Following this ordeal, the trio instructed the victim to get dressed and join them on a visit to a barber.
Once at the barber, they requested that the victim’s head and beard be shaved, which the barber did in accordance with their request. This entire incident, including the act of shaving, was documented by Jay.
The police report was filed by the victim on May 29, leading to the arrest of Jay on that very day. Jude, on the other hand, was apprehended on July 25, while Nadeson managed to evade capture until January 24 of this year.
SENTENCING
During the trial, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Andre Chong sought a sentence of six to eight months for Nadeson, highlighting the fear instilled in the victim’s mind due to the prior physical assault. The court has sentenced Nadeson to five months’ imprisonment, which has been backdated to January 24.
“The prior physical assault also amplified the force of the threat in the victim’s mind, causing him greater fear that he would be beaten up yet again,” DPP said in court.
DPP added “The victim’s fear would have been further compounded by the context in which the threat was made at an isolated location, where he was outnumbered by the accused person three to one, without the means to extricate himself.”
In his defense, Nadeson claimed to have been intoxicated during the incident. He also raised doubts about the severity of the victim’s injuries from the physical attack and questioned whether the victim had sought medical attention.
“(The victim) was holding my friend’s money and never paid back, but took it to another bar and spent it on the women in the bar.”
Nadeson argued in court that the victim had taken his friend’s money and spent it on other women in a different bar, and he felt it was unjust that he was being held in jail while the victim remained free.
Nadeson’s sentence was retroactively applied from January 24, the date of his arrest.
If found guilty of criminal intimidation, he could have faced a maximum penalty of a two-year jail term, a fine, or both.
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