Woman who recorded videos of fiance at Police Cantonment Complex given jail

Shaffiq Alkhatib
The Straits Times
November 8, 2023

A woman was with her fiance at the Police Cantonment Complex (PCC) over his bail-related matters when she disregarded multiple signs and unlawfully recorded videos of him there on two separate occasions.

The PCC is defined as a protected area under Infrastructure Protection Act.

Despite this, Siti Zulaika A. Rahman, 33, recorded one of the videos at the complex on July 13, 2023, which showed Mohd Heirizal Kamarzaman swaggering and making an obscene hand gesture.

He then uploaded it onto his TikTok account, and it was set to a song titled ‘I’m a Gangsta (sic)’.

She recorded the second video on Aug 1 before he uploaded it onto the same social media platform and set it to an expletive-laden song criticising the police.

Siti pleaded guilty on Wednesday to an offence under the Act and was sentenced to a week in jail.

The case involving Heirizal, 41, who is accused of multiple offences including assaulting her in June, is pending.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sarah Siaw said: “The videos that (Siti) filmed promoted disrespect for the law and for the Singapore Police Force’s authority.

“They were filmed on the premises of the (PCC) in flagrant disregard of prominent signs prohibiting photographs and videos.”

The DPP told the court that the videos uploaded onto Heirizal’s TikTok account publicly glamourised his disdain for the law.

She said that the clips collectively garnered over 300 reactions and over 130 shares, adding: “Had the videos not been deleted on (Aug 4) in the presence of the police, they would likely have gained even wider traction.”

However, the prosecutor noted that it was Heirizal, and not Siti, who had circulated the videos online.

On July 13, Siti accompanied Heirizal to PCC and waited for him near the front desk, outside an X-ray security check area.

After the bail reporting process was completed, he messaged her, saying he was about to leave the premises.

Siti then used her mobile phone to film a video of Heirizal, with his knowledge and consent, as he exited a glass door at the PCC and walked towards her.

After that, she sent the video to her fiance, who uploaded it on TikTok.

The couple went to the PCC again on Aug 1 and, according to court documents, Heirizal used his mobile phone to record a video showing the face of a female officer at a counter. He then passed the device to Siti, who filmed him from the back with his consent.

He then stitched together the two videos which were recorded on Aug 1 and uploaded the combined clip on TikTok.

On Wednesday, the DPP urged the court to sentence Siti to a fine of between $15,000 and $20,000, stressing that the offender had made no attempt to dissuade Heirizal from uploading the second video onto TikTok.

Siti, who was not represented by a lawyer, told the court in mitigation: “I didn’t want him to be angry with me, so I just took the videos. I was just afraid that he would beat me up.”

She also said that she was unable to pay the fine and asked for a short stint behind bars.