A 24-year-old regular serviceman in the Republic of the Singapore Navy was browsing a porn website at home when he came across a porn video which featured a woman with "white-painted nails" having sexual intercourse with another man.

Even though the face of the woman could not be seen, Don Weng Kai Jun felt the video clip reminded him of a 21-year-old woman he met once through the mobile dating app Bumble.

Weng then shared the clip on a Telegram channel with over 25,000 members because he had a "fear of missing out" (FOMO) for "not contributing".

As a result, strangers began messaging the woman on Telegram, asking her if she was the person in the clip and how much it would cost to have sex with her for a night.

Met woman once in real life

According to court documents, Weng turned 24 on Sep. 13, 2023.

Weng got to know the 21-year-old woman through Bumble in November 2022.

The woman cannot be named due to a gag order protecting her identity.

The pair met up in real life for dinner and stopped contacting each other after.

There was no dispute or disagreement between them.

Clip reminded him of woman

On Feb. 3, 2023, Weng was browsing a porn website and saw a video clip of a woman having sex with a man.

While the one-minute-and-16-second clip only showed the female subject's back view, it reminded Weng of the woman as both women had white-painted nails.

Weng then went to the woman's Instagram account and downloaded five of her photos, three of which where her face could be seen.

He then sent the woman's photos together with the clip to a Telegram channel named "Local SG Leaks".

Weng claimed he did it because he had a FOMO for not contributing to the channel.

Prior to this, he had never sent or posted anything and only consumed the channel's media content.

The channel, meant for circulating sexual content, had 25,390 members at that time.

Woman's friend tipped her off

While Weng did not add any caption to the photos and clip he shared, he knew it would give other members the false impression that the female subject in the clip and the woman were the same person.

The woman's friend, who was a member of the channel, informed the woman after seeing her pictures and the clip.

The friend also took a screen recording of the message and the sender's Telegram username.

The woman realised the sender's Telegram username was Weng's as he had used that username when the pair were chatting on Telegram.

She messaged Weng around one week after he posted her photos and the clip, asking him why he sent her photos to the channel, but Weng did not respond.

He deleted her photos and the clip from the channel, as well as his Telegram account.

Strangers proposition woman for sex

By then, however, other members of the channel had identified the woman and shared her Telegram contact information.

As a result, four to five strangers had messaged the woman, asking her if she was the person in the clip and how much it would cost to have sexual intercourse with her for a night.

The woman felt harassed and called the police on Feb. 16, 2023 night, stating that her photos had been wrongfully "tagged to a leaked porn tape online" and shared on the Telegram channel.

She added that the person in the clip was not her and gave Weng's details to the police.

She also felt compelled to make an Instagram post to clarify that she was not the female subject in the clip.

Arrested on Mar. 9

The police called Weng on Mar. 8, 2023 for investigations.

This was when Weng realised the severity of the matter and messaged the woman on Telegram to admit what he had done and apologise for his actions.

He was arrested on Mar. 9 and was released on bail.

The prosecutor said Weng knew that other members of the channel would believe that the female subject in the clip was the woman when he sent the woman's photo together with the clip.

In doing so, he not only transmitted an obscene object by electronic means but also made an insulting communication which caused harassment to the woman, thereby committing two offences.

Pleaded guilty on Sep. 12

Weng pleaded guilty to both offences on Sep. 12, 2023, CNA reported.

Weng's lawyer argued that Weng did not commercially profit from his actions and added that there was no evidence to show how many members of the channel saw what Weng sent.

However, District Judge Prem Raj pointed out that the photos and clip were on the channel for a week before they were deleted.

On the lawyer's arguments that a jail term would hurt Weng's future, the judge said he was troubled at how Weng's actions had been characterised as a "moment of misguided playfulness".

He emphasised that Weng is an adult and said he was not too sure about how Weng's actions can "be viewed in any sense as playful."

The judge also questioned Weng's claim of having FOMO and why he had not uploaded the clip as it is without the photos.

He said Weng's action of visiting the woman's Instagram, downloading her photos, and then sharing her photos with the clip showed premeditation.

Currently suspended from duties

The lawyer added that Weng is "wracked with remorse" at his lapsed judgment.

Weng's sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 19, 2023.

In response to Mothership's queries, the Ministry of Defence said that Weng is currently suspended from duties.

It added that it holds its service personnel to high standards of discipline and integrity and expects them to abide by the law.

Those who commit offences will be dealt with in accordance with the law

For transmitting obscene material, Weng could be jailed for up to three months, fined, or both.

For making an insulting communication, he could be fined up to S$5,000.

Top image from Shinmin Daily News, Christian Wiediger/Unsplash, Wikimedia Commons