A 32-year-old woman broke up and called off her engagement with her 37-year-old fiance after the former couple were caught and charged with hosting an illegal party at their Compassvale Crescent flat in Sengkang with 16 others on May 8, 2020, during Singapore's circuit breaker period.
The woman, Cassie Ong Shi Hong, claimed via her lawyer that she was an unwilling party in the gathering as she was not close to anyone in the group, and was involved in a toxic relationship with her then-fiance.
The defence's argument was centred on how the woman was made to join her fiance and his friends to hang out, and this brush with the law was the final straw that ended their relationship.
The lawyer for the woman asked the judge to impose a S$3,000 fine, instead of a S$4,000 one, given these circumstances.
The judge did not agree, and Ong was fined S$4,000 on Aug. 26.
Her fiancee, Leong Chee Mun, 37, has yet to be dealt with in court.
The flat belongs to Leong and Ong has since moved out.
Court reporting by The Straits Times, CNA and Yahoo Singapore reveal the fallout in the aftermath of the incident and other amusing facts pertaining to the incident.
18 guests in total
Out of the 18 people in the flat, 14 of them began arriving from 9pm that day, with the last guest arriving at 1:15am on May 9.
The two earliest guests visited the flat from about 6am that day.
Neighbour called police at 2am
A neighbour called the police at 2am to report a gathering of young people in the flat, and even claimed that this had been happening almost every night.
The group had been eating, drinking alcohol, playing games and watching Netflix -- a meeting that the judge called "completely frivolous" during a pandemic.
Flat owner lied to police
The police showed up at about 2.28am -- more than an hour after the last guest arrived.
There were multiple pairs of footwear outside the front door.
People laughing and chatting inside the unit could be heard.
The police also heard shushing sounds emanating from the inside.
The officer rang the doorbell repeatedly and waited several minutes before Leong responded.
He claimed that he had been sleeping and that he and his fiancee were the only ones around.
The police officer responded that he heard multiple voices.
Leong then admitted there were only eight to 10 people in the flat.
The officer found 18 people eventually.
Incident sparked breakup
After the police left the scene, Ong had a big argument with Leong.
They subsequently called off their engagement.
Ong's lawyer said the woman's former partner was possessive and heavily chauvinistic, CNA reported.
The couple were in a relationship for two years.
It was one where Ong was supposedly unable to say no to her partner, the woman's lawyer revealed in court.
Guests fined
The guests, all Singaporeans except one, were fined between S$2,500 and S$3,000 earlier this month.
A total of 10 Singaporeans have been fined:
Felisa Chua Jia Xuan, 23
Poh Yang Ting, 21
Priscilia Tan Sze Hui, 32
Low Wei Hao, 25
Jackson Tan Chia Ho, 30
Nicman Lim Wei Fong, 25
Jasmin Tan Ee Lin, 30
Kho Zi Ting, 27
Peh Si Qin, 22 and
Chee Min Hui, 27
Jackson and Jasmin were fined S$3,000, while the rest were each fined S$2,500.
Leong and the rest of the guests have yet to be dealt with.
They include:
Moey Kai Yi, 18
Jasper Tan Zhi Hong, 25
Cavin Liow Jun Rong, 20
Chua Jie Kun, 29
Mandy Tan Yi Xing, 26 and
Thant Thaw Kuang, 19, who is a Singapore permanent resident.
Top photo via Imgur & Google Maps