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AsiaOne
a day ago
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
'We will sue him until he goes bankrupt': Victim's mother plans to sue ex-actor Ian Fang, Entertainment News
In the case of former artist Ian Fang sexually assaulting a girl, the victim's mother bluntly said that the sentence given to Fang was too light. The 35-year-old fomer MediaCorp artist was sentenced to 40 months' jail after he pleaded guilty to having sex with the girl before she turned 16. He had sex with the teen on nine occasions between June and July 2024, mostly unprotected. She eventually contracted human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually-transmitted disease. Chinese-language media outlet 8world spoke exclusively with the victim's mother, who agreed to a five-hour interview under the condition of anonymity. She expressed strong dissatisfaction with the court's verdict and urged the authorities to review the case, calling for a harsher sentence, including caning, to prevent Fang from harming other women in the future. Fang was charged under Section 376A(2)(b) of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years' imprisonment or a fine, or both — but does not include caning. Fang was not caned as the victim was 15 at the time of the offences. The verdict might have been different if she had been below 14, as he would have been charged for rape. Under Section 375 of the Penal Code, those convicted of rape could be jailed for between eight and 20 years, and receive at least 12 strokes of the cane. Fang, the mother alleged, used his celebrity status and position of trust to take advantage of her. "The age gap between them was significant, and Fang used his celebrity status to manipulate her into bed," she said. "The first time, he brought wine to the hotel to visit my daughter while she was unwell, raped her and afterwards told her not to tell us — warning that he could go to jail if anyone found out. He knew exactly what he was doing was wrong," she added. "He had an ulterior motive every time they met. If that's not exploitation, then what is?" she questioned. "I just can't accept it. He manipulated and coerced my child," she said. She was equally firm in her view of the sentence: "I'm very, very dissatisfied. He should have been caned. At least then there would be a lasting mark - something to remind him, and others, of what he did. Now, there's nothing. No consequence that stops him from doing this again." The mother also questioned why a gag order had initially been imposed on Fang's identity. She believed revealing his name could have encouraged other potential victims to step forward. "There might be more victims out there," she said. She accused Fang of ruining her daughter's life and infecting her with a sexually transmitted disease. "I'm going to sue him until he goes bankrupt," she declared. "Her first time should have been with someone who truly loved her — not someone like him. He's a predator. A wolf in sheep's clothing," she said. She has since hired a lawyer to begin civil proceedings: "Yes, civil suits are about compensation. But this isn't about the money. I want to sue him until he's bankrupt." If any damages are awarded, she added, the entire sum would be donated to charity: "We don't want a cent of his money." [[nid:718288]] This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.
New Paper
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Paper
'We will sue him until he goes bankrupt': Victim's mother plans to sue ex-actor Ian Fang
In the case of former artist Ian Fang sexually assaulting a girl, the victim's mother bluntly said that the sentence given to Fang was too light. The 35-year-old fomer MediaCorp artist was sentenced to 40 months' jail after he pleaded guilty to having sex with the girl before she turned 16. He had sex with the teen on nine occasions between June and July 2024, mostly unprotected. She eventually contracted human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually-transmitted disease. Chinese-language media outlet 8world spoke exclusively with the victim's mother, who agreed to a five-hour interview under the condition of anonymity. She expressed strong dissatisfaction with the court's verdict and urged the authorities to review the case, calling for a harsher sentence, including caning, to prevent Fang from harming other women in the future. Fang was charged under Section 376A(2)(b) of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years' imprisonment or a fine, or both - but does not include caning. Fang was not caned as the victim was 15 at the time of the offences. The verdict might have been different if she had been below 14, as he would have been charged for rape. Under Section 375 of the Penal Code, those convicted of rape could be jailed for between eight and 20 years, and receive at least 12 strokes of the cane. Fang, the mother alleged, used his celebrity status and position of trust to take advantage of her. "The age gap between them was significant, and Fang used his celebrity status to manipulate her into bed," she said. "The first time, he brought wine to the hotel to visit my daughter while she was unwell, raped her and afterwards told her not to tell us - warning that he could go to jail if anyone found out. He knew exactly what he was doing was wrong," she added. "He had an ulterior motive every time they met. If that's not exploitation, then what is?" she questioned. "I just can't accept it. He manipulated and coerced my child," she said. She was equally firm in her view of the sentence: "I'm very, very dissatisfied. He should have been caned. At least then there would be a lasting mark - something to remind him, and others, of what he did. Now, there's nothing. No consequence that stops him from doing this again." The mother also questioned why a gag order had initially been imposed on Fang's identity. She believed revealing his name could have encouraged other potential victims to step forward. "There might be more victims out there," she said. She accused Fang of ruining her daughter's life and infecting her with a sexually transmitted disease. "I'm going to sue him until he goes bankrupt," she declared. "Her first time should have been with someone who truly loved her - not someone like him. He's a predator. A wolf in sheep's clothing," she said. She has since hired a lawyer to begin civil proceedings: "Yes, civil suits are about compensation. But this isn't about the money. I want to sue him until he's bankrupt." If any damages are awarded, she added, the entire sum would be donated to charity: "We don't want a cent of his money."
AsiaOne
5 days ago
- Business
- AsiaOne
Woman accused of making fake ex-DBS CEO 'Piyush Gupta' LinkedIn post blames social media manager, Singapore News
PUBLISHED ON May 26, 2025 10:37 AM By Khoo Yi-Hang Janney Hujic, the woman who purportedly made a LinkedIn post claiming to have met ex-DBS CEO Piyush Gupta, has claimed in an interview with 8world last Saturday (May 24) that the post was made by her social media manager. The 30-year-old Hujic claimed in the interview that the now-deleted post was uploaded in order to drive engagement and was done so without her permission. In screenshots shared by Hujic, messages in a WhatsApp chat with the "social media manager" stated: "Post has over 6k engagement. Pay me 5k SGD and I take it down." According to the "manager", the profile was "down" and he had changed the access details to it. "When I get paid I give you back access," the manager said. Hujic told 8world that she had hired the freelance "manager" based in the Philippines to create engagement. Hujic, who used to work with DBS, had travelled to Bali in May and met a Singaporean man who she mistook for Gupta. A photograph of her with the man, later identified as Kumar H Subramaniam, was uploaded to her LinkedIn account, along with a post that claimed she had met Gupta. Gupta then commented on the post, clarifying that the man in the picture wasn't him. Account held hostage? Speaking with 8world, Hujic explained that she had contacted the manager after receiving a recommendation from a friend, and offered to pay $1 per engagement with her post to the manager. Not only did the manager have access to her LinkedIn account, they were also added to a chat group where Hujic shared pictures with her friends, she said. While she had initially uploaded the photograph to her friends and uploading it on Instagram, jokingly captioning, "Oh my god, it's him," Hujic claimed that she did not expect the social media manager to use this photograph to make the LinkedIn post. While this was happening, she claimed she had no Internet access as she was in Vietnam for a trip, exploring a cave. When she got back online on Saturday, Hujic, who runs a travel agency offering "bespoke" travel experiences, claimed that she was unable to log in to either her LinkedIn or Instagram accounts. Hujic and her partner claimed that they have since paid the social media manager an unspecified amount, but still have not been able to log back in, she told 8world. 'Racism at work': Kumar Meanwhile, Kumar clarified with local media that Hujic and her partner were aware that he is not Gupta, also adding that he has been mistaken for the ex-CEO before. Kumar, who works as a teacher in Bali, has lived in Indonesia for 25 years after leaving Singapore. "She said she used to work at DBS and we had a laugh," he recalled. He also remembered that they had joked about pranking Hujic's friends with his semblance, Kumar said. "But I never, at any point, said I was Gupta — and I definitely did not agree for my photo to be used to promote any business or social venture." Kumar highlighted the racist comments that were made following Hujic's post, specifically ones that referred to "scam centres" or alluding to all Indian men being "the same". "This is racism at work," he stated. "Bald Indian men with glasses look alike?" Kumar said he is not planning to take legal action, explaining that this is "just an online storm in a teacup", suggesting that it will blow over soon. "I just want people to stop stereotyping and making offensive remarks. That's all," he said. [[nid:626881]] khooyihang@ LinkedInSocial mediaviralracial discrimination This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.
