A man who raped his 11-year-old daughter after being goaded by his girlfriend was sentenced to 24 years’ jail on Monday (Oct 27).His lover, 33-year-old Filipino domestic helper Albao Shiela Marie Ibales, was given 22 years’ jail.The victim’s parents have been separated since 2019. She lived with her mother and relatives on weekdays, and stayed with her father on weekends.The court heard that the 54-year-old man, who is American and cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, met Albao through dating application Tinder in 2022, and developed a sexual relationship.They often exchanged “sexually charged and deviant messages” such as  indecent acts with their future child as well as a pet dog.On March 17, 2023, while his daughter was staying with him, the man and Albao exchanged sexualised messages about the girl.Albao then said she wanted a photo of the victim performing a sex act on the man.The father then came up with an idea of a “bet” which involved his daughter doing a series of acts to get a reward.The man filmed the sex acts and sent to Albao, who congratulated the girl for winning $400.

A woman who falsely accused a man of raping her after he refused to pay her $1,200 for consensual sex when she was 19 years old was sentenced to probation on Monday (Oct 27).Claris Ling Min Rui, now aged 20, must remain indoors from 10pm to 6am for a year, and perform 60 hours of community service as part of her sentence.On Sept 1, Ling pleaded guilty to one count each of harassment and giving false information to a public servant.She met the 43-year-old man on Sugarbook, a sugar dating app, and agreed to go on a date with him in March this year.The man had agreed to pay her $200 for her «time».After going for drinks at a bar, the pair went to a Cavenagh Road hotel where they engaged in consensual sex. Things soured when Ling asked the man for $1,200 and he refused. The Straits Times reported in September that the man offered Ling $500 after she scolded him. Angered, she called the police and claimed that she was raped by the man while intoxicated.Police officers who attended to the case reviewed the hotel's closed-circuit television footage and found that it was inconsistent with Ling's account.

The male driver who allegedly collided with a cyclist along Nicoll Highway and killing him in 2023 has now been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Tan Yong Ren, 35, was alleged to have driven against the flow of traffic along Nicoll Highway towards the direction of Guillemard Road at about 5am on Dec 19 of that year when he collided into 45-year-old British national, Rajan Singh Basra.Singh was conveyed unconscious to hospital where he later died of his injuries.The police said in a news release then that traffic police officers arrested Tan within 16 hours of the accident after ground inquiries, with the aid of a witness and video footage from the police and the Land Transport Authority.Previously, Tan was handed seven charges, including dangerous driving causing death; fleeing the scene without rendering assistance; and consuming alcohol before driving. On Monday (Oct 27), the police said in a news release that the charge of dangerous driving causing death will be revised to an offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, after a review and with the concurrence of the Attorney-General's Chambers.

A motorcyclist escaping from a traffic police check hit a pedestrian on a sidewalk in Hougang, subsequently abandoning the bike and fleeing on foot.The incident occurred near Block 137 Lorong Ah Soo at about 1.15pm on Oct 21, reported Shin Min Daily News.A resident told the Chinese daily that she saw an overturned motorcycle lying on the pavement connecting the Tai Keng Gardens estate to the Lorong Ah Soo flats.«I saw at least 20 police officers, some of whom were armed. The atmosphere was very tense,» she described.Another resident surnamed Ye said he had to take a detour from his usual jogging route as the area was cordoned off by police.According to Stomp, at least eight police vehicles and an ambulance were seen at the open car park near Block 137 Lorong Ah Soo.The police said in response to media queries that a traffic police officer patrolling along Upper Paya Lebar Road had stopped the motorist for a check.Instead of complying, the motorcyclist sped off, leading to a chase that saw the motorcyclist colliding into a male pedestrian at a footpath along Tai Keng Gardens.

A Singapore-registered container vessel collided with a Chinese-registered vessel off Guangzhou, China, on Saturday (Oct 25).The Chinese vessel sank and two of the 15 crew members are missing.In a statement issued on Sunday (Oct 26), the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the collision occurred at around 8 pm, and it involved the Singapore-registered container vessel WAN HAI A17 and the Chinese-registered vessel HAI LI 5.According to Wan Hai Lines, the Singapore-registered vessel remains in stable condition with all 23 crew members safe, and no pollution reported, MPA said.Chinese authorities are conducting search and rescue operation for the missing crew, the authority said. The Singapore-registered vessel is currently being held in port to assist Chinese authorities with investigations.

Lawyer Darren Tan recently visited the site of his first arrest which set him on the arduous road to recovery from drug abuse and a successful careerIn a Facebook video shared by the Central Narcotics Bureau on Monday (Oct 27), the 46-year-old, who is now deputy managing director at Invictus Law Corporation, shared his inspirational story.He said he joined a gang at age 14, and started taking drugs around the same time — something he said gave him self-confidence.The law first caught up with him some 30 years ago during a gang “settlement talk” at a coffee shop in Block 212 Hougang Street 21.«Suddenly we were surrounded by police officers. Weapons and drugs were found in the cars,» said Tan, adding that he later tested positive for drugs.Even before his arrest, his appearance already had the telltale signs of addiction.«I was on drugs 24/7. When I was heavily hooked on meth, my body essentially degenerated,» he said."I was very, very thin because I didn’t have to eat. When I stood up, my eyes were open but I couldn’t see anything.

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers foiled an attempt to smuggle 4,000 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes at Tuas Checkpoint on Oct 17. In a Facebook post on Monday (Oct 27), ICA said the cigarettes were hidden in a Malaysia-registered lorry with its consignment of goods declared as knitted garments and perfumes.The cigarettes were discovered after ICA's Integrated Targeting Centre flagged the lorry for enhanced checks. The 28-year-old Malaysian driver has been arrested and the case referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation. Buying, selling, conveying, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are considered serious offences under the Customs Act and the Goods and Services Tax Act.If convicted, offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty evaded, jailed for up to six years, or both.

A young man was spotted mopping up spilled tea in the MRT with his T-shirt, earning praise for his civic-mindedness.Julie Tan shared the photo on the Facebook group Singapore MRT System on Oct 26, saying a young man «took his spare T-shirt to mop up spilled drink from an Indian passenger».She added that she was sharing the image to commend his «excellent and exceptional civic consciousness», adding that no one else in the train car had paid attention.Tan told The New Paper that her brother took the photo. By press time, it had received more than 4,400 reactions, 561 comments and 219 shares.Man hailed for quick action after tea spill on trainA Facebook user who claims to have been on the train said the spill happened when the passenger's luggage tipped over, spilling his takeaway tea as he hurried to find a seat.«He didn't react to the mess. However, the man sitting next to him, who was wearing a hat, stepped up and helped clean up the spilled tea,» the user wrote.

Five motorists, aged between 33 and 42, will be charged in court on Tuesday (Oct 28) for speeding offences involving heavy vehicles.In a statement released on Monday (Oct 27), the police said that the offences were allegedly committed while the motorists were driving vehicles required to be fitted with speed limiters.Between May and August, they allegedly travelled at speeds exceeding their vehicles' imposed limits.Two cases involved a 34-year-old and a 37-year-old driving cement mixers along Sheares Avenue towards Central Boulevard on June 8 and June 23, respectively, exceeding their vehicles' speed limits.The first was travelling at 61kmh and the second at 54kmh, both exceeding the 40 kmh speed limit.The other three cases involved buses. For speeding, offenders could be fined up to $1,000, jailed for up to three months, or both.

SHOALWATER BAY, Australia — In the midst of an ever-changing defence landscape, the Singapore Army faces various challenges while carrying out its operations.To counter these obstacles, it is adopting the use of various unmanned systems — some of which are being trialled at Shoalwater Bay Training Area during Exercise Wallaby 2025.Speaking to the media at the training area on Saturday (Oct 25), the exercise's Operational Field Trials Safety Lead Military Expert (ME) 5 Teo Liang Kai said that with the army increasingly operating in urban terrain, it encounters more blind spots.Instead of risking officers' lives to check such places, the army sends a fleet of drones to map out the area and mark hotspots — which they can avoid or preemptively neutralise, ME5 Teo said.He added that harnessing technology also allows the Army to do things faster and easier while covering bigger areas.«We can...enhance our situational awareness — like using unmanned systems to (support) our army tanks or soldiers on the ground (and) see a bit further so that they can prepare for the threats ahead of them,» said ME5 Teo.

A woman who allegedly attacked two other women with a knife at Upper Serangoon Road on Sunday (Oct 26) has been arrested.In a statement, the police said they had received a call for assistance at about 12.20pm to 756 Upper Serangoon Road.The address appears to be the location of Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre.According to police, the 44-year-old woman was detained by members of the public upon officers' arrival.She was subsequently arrested for voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapon, and she will also be referred for psychiatric assessment.Preliminary investigations revealed that the woman had acted alone, said police.They added that the two women, aged 36 and 44, sustained injuries during the attack and were taken conscious to hospital. A knife was seized as case exhibit and investigations are ongoing.candicecai@asiaone.com

Local chef Benny Se Teo posted an apology on Facebook on Friday (Oct 24) following the «strong opinions» he had expressed about the death of four-year-old Megan Khung, who died in 2020.A subsequent Facebook exchange between Se Teo and Megan's father, local content creator Khung Wei Nan, better known as Simonboy, has also touched many hearts.A report on the fatal abuse of Megan by a review panel convened to examine how the case was handled by agencies was released on Thursday (Oct 23).Megan died after sustained abuse at the hands of her mother and her mother's then-boyfriend. A fatal blow inflicted by the latter killed her on Feb 22, 2020.The case has horrified most Singaporeans, many of whom who have shared their opinions in comments and posts online.'Spoke out of emotion'In his post on Friday, Se Teo, 65, stated that he had «spoke out of emotion and without verifying the facts».

A 15-year-old were among 24 persons arrested for their suspected involvement in a government official impersonation scam. Another nine are assisting with investigations.This follows an island-wide anti-scam enforcement operation conducted between Oct 23 and 24.The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said in a press release on Sunday (Oct 26) that those arrested are aged between 15 and 34, while those assisting with investigations are between 16 and 70.SPF's Commercial Affairs Department conducted the operation after a victim lodged a report on Oct 22, claiming he had been tricked by scammers impersonating officers from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).Over $1.1 million in lossesThe victim had received an unsolicited call from someone posing as a staff from M1, claiming he had an existing mobile plan contract.When he denied this, the call was transferred to scammers acting as MAS officers, who allegedly told him that a bank account under his name was frozen and his assets have to be safeguarded for investigations.Between Oct 14 and 22, the victim was deceived into transferring over $1.1 million.

A python was successfully captured by two female NParks personnel, described as 'heroines', in Ang Mo Kio early this week, but the action on the sidelines was what has also garnered attention.The incident, which was recorded and posted on Facebook, occurred at Block 338, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1.A Xiaohongshu video taken from a different angle and posted on Oct 20 revealed another commotion which had occurred behind the unfolding action. The clip showed a police officer behind the railing, standing guard to discourage onlookers from getting too close to the operation.The policeman was seen approaching a man in white who had managed to come close to the railing while pointing his phone camera at the women.From the clip, the police officer could be seen placing his hand on the man's forearm as the man then backs away.However, the man could be heard responding agitatedly in Chinese, «Don't push me... I'll fall, don't push me.»He was also heard explaining that he was «just (standing) here», before walking off.

Amid a late-night downpour on Friday (Oct 24) night, a tree collapsed onto the Seletar Expressway (SLE), hitting passing motorcycles and sending two riders to the hospital.The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call at 10.10pm regarding a road traffic accident on the SLE towards the CTE, just before the Lentor Avenue exit.Two people were taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, according to SCDF.Dashcam footage posted on Facebook shows heavy rain over the expressway as three motorcycles travel along the right-most lane.A tree from the central divider then falls over, crashing onto the lane.One motorcyclist appeared to be hit by the tree, bumping into the central divider, but managed to regain control.Another was hit but lost control and fell onto the road while the bike skidded forward, producing sparks from the friction.

SINGAPORE – SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) has penalised two training providers and warned another two that violated its marketing guidelines in 2024 and 2025.Acctrain Academy had its contract with SSG terminated on Sept 30 for not supervising the actions of parties marketing its courses, at least one of which paid cash to learners, said SSG on Oct 21 in response to queries from The Straits Times.The termination means the firm can no longer receive SSG funding.The other company penalised is FirstCom Academy, which was suspended from January to March 2025 for using a referral programme to market its courses.The penalties come ahead of new rules barring SkillsFuture training providers from using third parties to promote their courses from Dec 1, after public complaints about undesirable marketing practices.«Marketing agents from third parties have a higher risk of deploying aggressive marketing practices to drive sales volume and achieve sales targets, instead of prioritising the value of training for learners,» said an SSG spokeswoman.