Woman who was upset with boyfriend and lied to police that her mobile phone was snatched in Geylang jailed 5 days; had maintained lie for over 16 hours
The Singapore police had deployed 15 fast response cars for a two-hour-long manhunt and officers to review CCTV footage for a non-existent snatch theft offender.
SINGAPORE — A 36-year-old woman walked away without her mobile phone after screaming at her boyfriend as she was upset with him, then went to the police and lied that an unknown man had snatched it from her in Geylang.
For her lies and actions, Taiwanese Lee Yi-Ching was sentenced to five days’ jail over giving false information to a public servant on Thursday (March 21). Lee had pleaded guilty to the charge on the same day.
According to local media The Straits Times, the police activated 15 fast response cars and spent nearly two hours conducting a man hunt, as well as tasking officers to review footage from close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras around Lorong 32 Geylang.
It was later uncovered that the phone was with Lee’s boyfriend, and she had refused to take back her device even after he tried to return it.
Woman had dropped her phone, boyfriend tried to return it
According to The Straits Times, Lee's boyfriend had told investigators that they had been at a pub in Sembawang together on 24 August 2023. They left around 9pm, with the man driving her home in a van.
Lee had consumed alcohol and started screaming at the man before alighting. The reasons for her actions were not stated in the court documents, the English daily reported.
Her boyfriend then alighted and was walking her home. This was when Lee dropped her mobile phone.
The man picked it up and tried to return it to her, but she refused and screamed at him instead. He then decided to take the phone with him and return it to her the next day.
Woman maintained her lie to police for over 16 hours
Lee then went to the Geylang Neighbourhood Police Centre to lodge a report just after 10pm.
She told an officer that she had been on her way home when a man who she did not know snatched her mobile phone from her in Lorong 32 Geylang.
However, CCTV footage from the area showed that she had alighted from a van with a man and screamed at him.
The Straits Times reported that the police then located her boyfriend at around 3.15am and interviewed him.
This was when he shared that it was only after failed attempts to return the mobile phone that he chose to keep it, with the intention of finding the chance to return it the next day.
Lee later admitted to her lies on 25 August 2023, after more than 16 hours had passed.
Deputy Public Prosecutor John Lu told the court Lee confessed “that she had quarrelled with her boyfriend the previous day and he wanted to return the mobile phone to her, but she was upset with him”.
Lee also clarified that her boyfriend did not snatch or steal the phone from her, he added.
The prosecutor sought for up to a week in jail for Lee as her lies had resulted in an unnecessary activation of public resources, The Straits Times reported.
“The accused maintained the false narrative for 16 hours and 42 minutes, which resulted in the accused’s boyfriend having to be inconvenienced by the surprised and unpleasantness of the police investigations,” DPP Lu said.
Lee could have been jailed to up to two years and fined for giving false information to a public servant.
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