Man threatened to use black magic and upload ex-girlfriend's nude photos after she broke up with him

David Sun
The Straits Times
October 31, 2023

Upset with his on-and-off girlfriend, a man threatened to use black magic on her and her family.

The 25-year-old also threatened to upload her nude photos after she broke up with him and moved on with a new partner.

On Tuesday, he was jailed for five months and fined $2,000. The Straits Times is not naming the man as there is a gag order on the victim’s identity.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of threatening to distribute intimate images and one count of harassment.

Another six charges for harassment, threatening to distribute intimate images and transmitting an obscene image were taken into consideration for sentencing.

The court heard that he and the 35-year-old victim had been in an on-and-off romantic relationship since 2018, and exchanged intimate photos and videos.

On Feb 27, 2022, they were chatting on WhatsApp when he became upset, thinking that she wanted to bring other men home.

He threatened to use black magic and called her derogatory names.

She filed a police report saying that he had been harassing her on WhatsApp.

About two months later, on April 30, after they broke up, he sent her a nude photo of herself, threatening to upload it to Facebook. He blamed her for moving on and finding a new partner.

She made another police report.

Less than three months later, on July 19, he again sent intimate images of the victim to her. Two were of her nude, and another two showed her in underwear.

He threatened to display the images by setting them as his profile picture on WhatsApp if she continued to ignore him. She made another police report.

On Tuesday, the man, who was not represented, turned up late for the court session, prompting District Judge Ow Yong Tuck Leong to ask for an explanation. He said his wife is pregnant and has morning sickness, so he has to take care of her.

His wife, who was present in court, cried during the court proceedings.

The man said in mitigation that he made the threats out of anger, and that he was stressed and lost at the time as his mother had just died.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Chong Yong said the man showed a pattern of abusive behaviour, having already been jailed in 2021 after he was charged for similar offences relating to the same woman.

The prosecutor said he was previously jailed for 10 months, and had initially intended to claim trial for his most recent offences.

In response, the man said he has learnt his lesson, and wants to focus on the future, having got married in April. He asked for leniency, saying he wants to take care of his wife and family.

If he is unable to pay the $2,000 fine, he will have to serve another 10 days in prison.

For each charge of threatening to distribute intimate images, he could have been fined, caned and jailed for up to five years.