A man started to stalk his childhood crush and threatened the woman to cut her and kill her father after she rejected the man. Finally on Monday, May 28 he was sentenced to 10 weeks' of imprisonment after the court found him guilty of two charges.
The accused, Muhammed Hisham Mohamed Iqbal developed the romantic feelings for the woman, Archana Subramaniam, whom he met in primary school. He kept his feelings secret until both turned 24 and when he expressed it, she rejected the proposal. Reports stated that the man turned into a stalker and he also threatened Archana.
Hisham was charged with criminal intimidation and one each of stalking and committing a rash act endangering the safety of others.
During the hearing, the judge came to know that Hisham started to stalk Archana since November 2017. But, it was not clear that when she rejected his proposal. He wanted to talk to Archana at a convenience store in Telok Blangah on November 7, but he walked away from that place, as he saw that the woman was with her mother.
The court also heard that on December 18, the accused sent two threatening text messages to the Archana from a private phone number. In one of those messages, Hisham stated that he must "cut" her. He also called her 16 times between December 23 and 24. The court heard that particularly on December 24, he made 11 calls from midnight to 4.30 am.
Hisham called Archana's 55-year-old father Subramaniam Naranasamy on January 8, 2018, and said that he wanted to talk to her. But, when Subramaniam said she was not around, the accused told him in Tamil that he will go to a shop, buy a chopper and come.
Later, on January 22 when he spotted Archana and her father on a motorcycle at a car park in Telok Blangah Heights, Hisham confronted them, as he wanted to solve the issues with her father. But, Subramaniam tried to avoid the accused and continued to ride away from that place.
Suddenly, Hisham picked up an empty bottle and threw at Archana's father and it hit in the left eye of Subramaniam. Out of rage, he also shouted at him and said that "You come back, I will kill you."
As per Singapore Penal Code, if a person intentionally puts any person in fear of any harm to that person or to any other person, in body, mind, reputation or property, whether such harm is to be caused legally or illegally, and thereby dishonestly induces the person so put in fear to deliver to any person any property or valuable security, or anything signed or sealed which may be converted into a valuable security, commits "extortion".
Under section 386 penal code, "Whoever commits extortion by putting any person in fear of death or of grievous hurt to that person or to any other, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of not less than 2 years and not more than 10 years and with caning."
Section 7 of the Protection from Harassment Act states that "No person shall unlawfully stalk another person". For the first time offenders, the punishment would be up to a $5,000 fine and/or up to 12 months' jail term. On the other hand, repeat offenders will be liable to up to a $10,000 fine and/or up to 2 years' jail.
