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Email revealed in City Harvest trial
Teacher gets jail for sexual offences against 14-year-old
Cleaner jailed for beating son

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The returns from what are allegedly sham bonds that City Harvest Church invested in was repaid with money from the church, the prosecution tried to prove in court during the trial against founder Kong Hee and five of his deputies.

The prosecution on Thursday produced email between several of the accused to show the "flow of funds" between the church's investment management firm AMAC Capital Partners and glassware manufacturer Firna, which had issued S$11mil (RM28mil) worth of bonds invested in by the church.

AMAC is run by Chew Eng Han, one of the accused, and Firna is owned by long-time church member Wahju Hanafi.

An email between Hanafi and Chew and another accused Serina Wee, set out the timeline for money transfers from AMAC to Firna so Firna could repay the church's bond investments.

When asked on the witness stand whether the AMAC-Firna timeline was followed, Hanafi replied "I think almost there" but he added that the plan had come from the accused and he had not asked why they needed it done.

Hanafi also did not know where AMAC had received the money it gave to Firna.

The prosecution has been trying to show that Firna, AMAC and another company, music production firm Xtron Productions, were all used to illegally channel church funds to Kong' wife Ho Yeow Sun's pop music career.

The six accused were charged last year with misusing about S$50mil (RM130mil) in total to finance Ho's career and to cover this up. -The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Teacher gets jail for sexual offences against 14-year-old

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A music teacher who committed sexual offences against a 14-year-old girl was sentenced to 18 months' jail.

James Rohan Fernando, 25, who faced six charges, admitted to three counts of sexual penetration of a minor between December 2011 and March last year.

A district court heard that Fernando, who was teaching in a private school, came to know the victim through online social network Facebook in 2010. She was then 13.

The victim, who the court heard had been diagnosed with autism since she was a child, accepted his friend request as she badly needed someone to talk to. She subsequently became very attached to Fernando and fell in love with him.

When they met for the first time in Telok Blangah in December 2011, he took her to the highest floor of Block 87 Telok Blangah Heights, and touched her inappropriately.

When the victim told him that they should not engage in any sexual acts if they were to meet again, he said he did not want to meet her anymore. She then relented and agreed to meet up with him.

Sometime in January or February last year, they met a second time. Fernando took her to a multi-storey carpark at Telok Blangah Heights where she performed oral sex on him at a staircase landing. They had sex in the same carpark one evening in March.

The victim's mother reported to the police on March 28 last year after seeing Fernando's many text messages to the victim which were all sexual in nature.

Fernando's lawyer Stephen Wong said his client was truly remorseful. He said given the relationship, there was no manipulation and exploitation on Fernando's part. He has also written a letter of apology to the victim.

He could have been jailed for up to seven years and/or fined on each charge. -The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Cleaner jailed for beating son

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A cleaner was jailed for 14 months for assaulting his nine-year-old for stealing S$50 (RM130) from him.

He admitted last month to ill-treating his son by slapping, kicking and punching the boy on the face, body and legs at his home on April 10.

A Community Court heard that the accused, a divorcee, found S$50 (RM130) missing from his wallet that morning and suspected his son had taken it without his permission.

That evening, he confronted the victim who admitted to taking the money only after much questioning.

Initially, the victim said he had bought books with the money, but later confessed that he had spent it on game cards.

The accused, 28, lost his temper and began to hit the victim repeatedly over various parts of his body. He slapped, punched and kicked the victim, who was crying and tried to block the attacks.

The next day after school, the victim did not return home. He followed his friend to the latter's house. He informed his friend's father about the incident and police were called for.

Community Court Judge Lim Keng Yeow, who also ordered that the accused by bonded for S$8,000 (RM20,000) for good behaviour for 24 months, told the accused that what he did were acts of aggression on a vulnerable boy, not acts of parental correction.

"The acts are clearly unacceptable regardless of the wrong you felt he had done," he said on Thursday. -The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Jumaat, 6 September 2013