He lied to get daughter into top school

SINGAPORE - The 35-year-old self-employed man pleaded guilty in court yesterday to one count of giving false information to the school principal.

A separate charge of giving false information to a police officer will be taken into consideration during sentencing.

The man cannot be named to protect his daughter's identity.

On July 30, 2013, while at the school, the man registered his daughter under the Primary 1 phase 2C registration.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Lin Yinbing said that applicants residing within a 1km to 2km zone from the school are given priority under this phase should the number of applications exceed the number of vacancies.

LIED

In the application form, the man lied by claiming that he lived in a home within the zone. He also produced his NRIC which showed that address.

But that property had been leased to an American man who has tenancy agreements to live there from May 1, 2003, to April 30, 2016.

The father and his family members were living in an apartment elsewhere.

His daughter secured a place at the school on Aug 5 that year.

The following month, the man went to a police station to update the address on his NRIC.

His cover was blown when officers from the Ministry of Education conducted a house visit in December 2013.

The father came clean during a meeting that the principal arranged with him on Jan 10 last year. She made a police report about a month later.

The case has been adjourned to Feb 3.

For giving false information to a public servant, he can be jailed up to a year and fined up to $5,000.

This article was first published on January 07, 2015.
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