Married S'pore PRs, both 39, jailed for delivering supplies to illegal prostitutes during pandemic in 2020

A husband and wife duo were convicted for helping to provide condoms, contraceptives, and lubricants to women illegally engaging in prostitution in public housing flats in Singapore.

They assisted an acquaintance of the woman's from the same hometown.

All three were sentenced to jail and fines.

The defendants were Wen Mingyang, 36, a Chinese national, as well as his accomplices, a married couple: Tan Chia Wai, 39, a Malaysian, and his wife Liu Xiu, 39, a Chinese national, both of whom are Singapore permanent residents .

Each pleaded guilty to one offence under the Women's Charter.

The married couple's role was to help manage the supplies stored in a warehouse.

Knew each other in China

According to Shin Min Daily News, Wen and Liu met in China.

In June 2020, Wen learned that Liu's husband Chen was working as a food deliveryman in Singapore.

Wen contacted Liu through WeChat and proposed to deliver condoms, lubricants, contraceptives and other family planning supplies to illegal prostitutes operating in Singapore.

How ordering worked

After a customer placed an order via WeChat, Wen would provide the delivery address, product type, and payment amount.

Then, the couple would go to a warehouse in Eunos to pick up the goods and deliver them to the designated location.

The three of them reached an agreement where the couple would take a 15 per cent cut of each order.

It was revealed in court that Chen was mainly responsible for picking up and delivering goods, while Liu planned routes, checked orders, and occasionally assisted in the delivery.

In addition, the couple was also responsible for managing the warehouse, receiving and sorting new goods.

From Jun. 15 to Jul. 31, 2020, the couple received a total of S$2,705 in remuneration, which was used for daily expenses.

This period was during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Caught by police

On the evening of Jul. 31, 2020, the police received a report that a suspicious-looking man appeared at Block 705 Woodlands Drive 40.

Investigations revealed that the man had gone to a unit to look for a woman who was engaged in illegal prostitution.

The police immediately launched a surprise operation, raided the premises, and arrested the woman.

At the same time, the police found Chen loitering nearby.

After questioning him, they learned that he was in the vicinity to deliver condoms to the prostitute and had delivered similar products many times.

Chen was arrested on the spot and the police seized several boxes of condoms and lubricants.

The next day, the police raided the warehouse and seized a large number of family planning products, and then arrested Liu at her home.

Liu and Chen were sentenced to 13 and 12 days' jail respectively, and fined S$13,500 each.

Wen was sentenced to two weeks' jail and fined S$13,500.

As he was unable to pay the fine, he had to serve 49 days in jail in lieu of the fine.

About the couple

The couple, who got married in 2014, said in mitigation that they took to making money this way due to the pandemic disrupting their livelihoods.

They said they planned to have children via in vitro fertilisation (IVF), but were unable to do so as a result of this case.

Chen was a chef at a hotel, but had to go on unpaid leave and turned to delivering food to make ends meet.

They said they cooperated with the authorities by revealing the warehouse location after they were caught, and that they handed over their earnings.

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