Singapore—A Singaporean man who stalked a Kazakhstani woman has pleaded to one charge of unlawful stalking and received a jail sentence of two months on September 12, Thursday.

This is not the first time Colin Mak Yew Loong has run afoul of the law for an offence of this nature, having been convicted of harassing a female singer from America in 2013.

Mr Mak kept appearing at the office where the woman from Kazakhstan worked in order to give her presents, as well as sent her over 300 harassing text messages and emails.

Six years ago, in December 2013, he was already fined S$5,000 as well as sent to jail for three years, since he had harassed four different women over a period of six years. The women who were victimized by his unwanted attentions were a a businesswoman; a musician from Hungary, Krasznai Tuende Ilona; another musician from the Ukraine, Veronika Sakhno; and the aforementioned singer-actress from the United States, Leandra Ramm.

See also  Alleged administrator of SG Nasi Lemak chat group faces additional charge of possessing pornographic material

But Mr Mak struck again last year, after he met the 31-year-old woman from Kazakhstan at a conference in Marina Bay Sands in November 2018.

He texted the woman 173 times in a harassing manner from November 1 to 7.

She only replied 20 times.

He also asked her for her shoe size by November 7, after which she refused to engage with him further, and stopped replying to him. She blocked his number after December 1, when he had sent her 105 messages in all.

From November 1, 2018 though July 29, 2019, Mr Mak also sent the Kazakhstani woman 62 emails.

In February 2018, he began to stalk her where she worked. He had managed to ask someone who had a pass to let him enter the building so he could give the Kazakhstani woman a plush toy as a gift. She refused to accept the gift, and told him outright that she no longer wanted to see him.

See also  Man convicted of killing mistress at Gardens by the Bay files appeal

However, he returned on July 1 of the same year, with another gift, which she promptly rejected again.

The Kazakhstani woman emailed Mr Mak on July 2, telling him that she had not shown any interest in pursuing a relationship with him, and that his behavior had made her uncomfortable.

But Mr Mak persisted in sending her emails.

He returned to her office on July 24, 2018, with yet anther gift, which was rebuffed. She also told him that he was not welcome at her workplace.

However, he managed to enter the office again on July 26. Because the woman was not there at that time, he left.

On the same day, the woman filed a report with the police, who arrested Mr Mak some days afterward.

According to Mr Mak’s testimony in court, none of the communication he had ever made with the woman was threatening in nature.

He added that he desired to take responsibility for what he has done.

See also  Halloween fun night turns horrific as attackers injure partygoers coming home from Marina Bay Sands

District Judge Luke Tan said at Mr Mak’s sentencing that while this was his first conviction for stalking, he had offenses in the last few years that were similar in nature. Furthermore, what he did had a harmful effect on the Kazakhstani woman.

“You may not have threatened her here and the prosecution agrees, but this kind of act will cause distress to (the victim).”

Furthermore, he warned Mr Mak that a harsher sentence awaited him if he were to offend in this vein again. -/TISG