S'porean woman, 41, lied about home address to get daughter, 8, into 'well-known' school

A 41-year-old woman in Singapore pleaded guilty on Sep. 24 after she lied about her residential address to enrol her daughter to a specific primary school in Singapore.

The woman had provided incorrect information about her change of address to a registration officer between August and October 2024, reported CNA.

Her identity was not disclosed as part of a gag order imposed by the court to protect the identity of her eight-year-old daughter.

According to court documents, the woman, between Jun. 24, 2024, and Sep. 20, 2024, gave information that she knew to be false to public servants.

Lied about change of address, told tenants to lie

The woman, who owned a Housing Development Board (HDB) flat, rented it out to six tenants from 2023.

According to CNA, she mainly lived with her partner at another address with her daughter.

During the 2023 Primary 1 Registration Exercise, she enrolled her daughter in a school under the priority admission scheme, using her own flat's address, which was within 1km of the school.

CNA notes that it was a "well-known" school.

Later, a school administrator noticed that the accused had emailed about changing her address to her partner's residence, which was outside the priority admission zone.

She was later advised that her daughter could be transferred to another school.

In August 2024, school staff visited the flat but only met the tenants, who said no children lived there.

When confronted, the woman falsely claimed she stayed at the flat several days a week and even signed a document confirming this.

She also began contacting the real estate agent managing the tenants, instructing them to tell the school that she and her daughter lived at the flat.

Between August and October 2024, the woman provided false information to school staff on at least five occasions to keep her daughter enrolled, while also misreporting her change of address.

Pleaded guilty, asked for leniency with possible fine

The prosecution did not object to a fine of S$10,000.

CNA reported that the woman, who does not have any prior criminal records, said the fine was too high for her as a single mother with two children to support.

“All I do, I just want to protect my daughter. Your honour, I cannot go to jail. Because if I go to jail, there's no support for my two children," she said.

She pleaded guilty to one count of giving false information to public servants and another count of providing false information when declaring a change of address.

A third charge will be taken into consideration during sentencing.

Providing false information to a public servant is punishable by up to two years' jail, a fine, or both.

As her charge involved five instances, the woman faces double penalties.

For giving false information when reporting an address change, she could also be jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$3,000, or both.

Her sentencing has been postponed to November 2025.

Top photos via Canva & Mothership