A 40-year-old Singaporean man, Lin Zhenyang, was sentenced to almost two years in prison and two strokes of the cane on Monday (Feb 10) for possessing over 8,000 photos and videos depicting child pornography.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CASE
- Lin Zhenyang, a 40-year-old Singaporean, was sentenced to nearly two years in prison and two strokes of the cane for possessing over 8,000 photos and videos depicting child pornography, in addition to being charged with possessing more than 12,000 obscene films.
- Upon his arrest, authorities found 1,136 videos and 7,277 images of child abuse material, which constituted nearly 40% of his total collection of obscene materials, amounting to over 20TB or approximately 10,000 hours of pornographic content.
- The prosecution called for a sentence of 23 to 25 months in prison, while Lin’s lawyers requested 19 to 21 months, arguing that he did not actively seek out child abuse material and that his possession was due to indifference rather than intent.
DETAILS OF THE CASE
According to CNA report, court heard that Lin had joined a Telegram group several years prior to his arrest in 2021, where members shared pornographic material, including videos featuring children in sexual acts. At home, he imported media files from the Telegram groups using external cloud storage links, downloading entire folders of files and transferring them to his personal hard drives.
Despite realizing that some of the content included child abuse material, Lin did not delete these files. Following a police raid on his home on October 15, 2021, authorities seized two hard drives, a phone, and a computer, uncovering a total of 1,136 videos and 7,277 images of child abuse material. It was revealed that Lin began accumulating these files after joining the Telegram groups.
Investigations indicated that Lin possessed 12,896 other obscene films, meaning that the child abuse material accounted for nearly 40% of the total obscene content in his possession.
During the sentencing, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sheldon Lim recommended a prison term of 23 to 25 months and two to three strokes of the cane. Lin’s defense lawyers described him as an introverted individual who struggled with social interactions and felt undervalued at work. They claimed Lin retreated into escapism through alcohol and pornography.
The lawyers argued that Lin did not actively seek out child abuse material and requested a lighter sentence of 19 to 21 months in prison with up to two strokes of the cane. They noted that Lin had joined an astonishing 500 Telegram groups— the maximum allowed for non-paying users— as his personal and professional challenges mounted.
At the time of his arrest, Lin had amassed over 20 terabytes of pornographic materials, equating to approximately 10,000 hours of high-definition video “more than he could ever watch”, said his lawyers according to CNA report.
His lawyers claimed that the presence of child abuse material in his collection was due to his indifference rather than intent.
Lin’s family members, including his parents and siblings, were present in court during the sentencing.
Under Singaporean law, the penalties for possessing child abuse material include a jail term of up to five years, along with the possibility of a fine or caning.
Image via google for illustration
- Couple Sentenced to Jail for Livestreaming Obscene Acts in Public
- Malaysian National Jailed for Installing Pinhole Camera in Disabled Toilet
- Everything You Need To Know About Singapore Budget 2025
- Pritam Singh Fined for Lying to Committee of Privileges, Plans to Appeal
- New Speeding Penalties to Take Effect in 2026, Warns Minister K Shanmugam
