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Daniel Wong Mun Meng. TNP FILE PHOTO
Teacher who paid for massage with fake notes loses appeal
Judge dismisses appeal of man convicted of counterfeiting $100 notes to pay for sex
SELINA LUM, LAW CORRESPONDENT
Jun 26, 2018 06:00 am
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Daniel Wong Mun Meng, 44, failed to convince a High Court judge that the notes were meant as a teaching tool to "excite and engage" students on currency exchange.
His contention that he wanted to use the notes as props for the school's Maths Day, because they depicted youth from uniformed groups and was in line with the event's SG50 theme, was rejected.
In dismissing Wong's appeal against conviction for counterfeiting the money and using the fake notes as genuine currency, Justice Aedit Abdullah said his reasons beggared belief.
In July 2015, Wong made the two fake notes by photocopying a genuine one on his home printer. On the night of Aug 3, 2015, he drove to Orchard Towers, where he offered to pay a Vietnamese woman $200 for "services".
He paid Ms Nguyen Nhu Trang with the fake notes before driving her to Fragrance Hotel in Balestier Road. They spent an hour there.
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He testified that she gave him a full body massage and had sex with him. But Ms Trang told the court that there was no sex.
The case came to light after she tried to use one of the fake notes at a supermarket and was caught by a cashier.
Police officers arrested Wong at Bukit Batok Secondary School on Aug 20, 2015. He was suspended from teaching in December the same year.
He was found guilty after a 12-day trial and sentenced to three years' jail in November last year. He had been out on bail pending appeal.
Yesterday, his lawyer Melanie Ho pointed to the scheme of work for Wong's class to establish that he did intend to deal with currency exchange as a topic.
But the judge questioned if it was just an excuse.
"Do teachers generally create counterfeit notes to fulfil the scheme of work?" he asked, adding that Monopoly money or other currency could have been used.
Ms Ho argued that three years was too harsh for Wong. His infidelity took a toll on his marriage, she said.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Kenneth Chin said Wong's defence was an afterthought, adding he failed to mention any intention to use the fake notes for class or for Maths Day when questioned by the police.
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