Spurned lover's nude photo revenge

Spurned lover's nude photo revenge

SINGAPORE - A 50-year-old lecturer who was involved in an intimate relationship with a former student was dismayed when he found out that she had dumped him for a younger man.

Consumed with a need for revenge, Low Peng Hu, an Institute of Technical Education (ITE) lecturer, sent seven nude photographs of his former lover attached with captions to her parents, together with an anonymous letter that cast aspersions on the new couple.

For the act that was described by the court as "despicable and cowardly", the married father of a teenage girl was jailed for three weeks yesterday on one charge under Section 292(1)(a) of the Penal Code for distribution of obscene materials.

Low had admitted to sending the obscene photographs and the letter to his former lover's parents in November last year. They were taken when he was in a three-year relationship with the 24-year-old victim.

In the letter, Low claimed to be an HIV-infected former gay partner of the victim's boyfriend. It warned that she was at risk of contracting the disease.

Low also maligned the victim's boyfriend, saying the man wanted to get her pregnant and "inherit her parents' money and properties".

Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicholas Khoo said that Low also insulted the victim, saying she was "not a virgin, very loose", had body odour and low intelligence.

Feeling anguished and humiliated by the contents of the letter, the victim's 71-year-old father broke down, the prosecutor said.

The photographs had attached captions that District Judge Christopher Goh described as "not pleasant".

"He hid behind the veneer of anonymity and caused much anguish to the victim's parents. This was also aggravated by the various captions that accompanied the photographs which served to degrade the victim even further," Judge Goh said.

Mr Khoo told the court earlier that Low first knew the victim at the ITE where he was teaching. After the victim graduated from the ITE and was enrolled in another college, she sought Low's help for a project.

They then entered into an intimate relationship and had sex in hotels on a number of occasions. It was during one of their trysts that he took photos of her naked.

In August last year, she began to drift apart from him after she had a new boyfriend. Low pleaded with her to leave her boyfriend, but she refused. He turned up uninvited at her place two months later, and she asked him to stay out of her life.

The prosecution had urged for a short jail term given that Low's acts were "deliberate and premeditated", and were motivated by revenge. But Low's lawyer Shashi Nathan said a fine would suffice as his client was a first-time offender and distributed the photos only to the victim's parents.

Judge Goh also addressed the issue of the section under which the accused was charged.

"Should one party subsequently take advantage of this and thereafter uses these photos to embarrass the other party, then he must be taken to task. I am of the view that this should be the case irrespective of whether the accused was in this case charged under section 292, or even section 509 itself, insulting the modesty of a woman."

Low, who has been suspended from his workplace, could have been jailed for up to three months and/or fined.

elena@sph.com.sg


Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.