M
Musashi Miyamoto
Guest
Jun 4, 2011
Tutor charged over 'intimidating' letters
Anonymous letters sent to 10 people, blade and powdery stuff put in some
By Elena Chong, Court Correspondent
A PRIVATE tutor was charged in court on Friday with 11 counts of criminal intimidation by sending anonymous letters to 10 people including Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) and church pastors.
Lawrence Chu Tuck Fai, 52, allegedly committed the offences between April 2009 and October last year.
In three instances, he is said to have sent powdery substances and a blade with the letters to intimidate the victims, whom he did not know personally.
Among those who received letters were former NMPs Paulin Tay Straughan and Laurence Wee Yoke Thong; senior pastor Derek Hong of Church of Our Saviour in Margaret Drive; pastor Rony Tan of Lighthouse Evangelism in Tampines Street 82; and Associate Professor Thang Leng Leng from the National University of Singapore's Japanese Studies Department.
It was not disclosed in court on Friday who made the police report, and how Chu was tracked down.
On April 14, 2009, Chu allegedly sent a white powdery substance in both handwritten and typewritten letters which said 'I may not hurt you but someone you love most, that will cause you great pain', to a staff member at Aware (Association of Women for Action and Research) Centre in Dover Crescent.
Read the full report in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.
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