A Malaysian woman has been sentenced to one year in jail after defrauding fans of Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung of RM441,828 by promising concert tickets she never provided.
According to China Press, the woman – identified as 40-year-old Tan Siew Kian – pleaded not guilty earlier in August.
However, she changed her plea on Nov 6, resulting in the Sessions Court handing down a one-year imprisonment term starting from the date of her arrest on Aug 12.
According to a statement from the police, a restaurant operator lodged a police report against Tan after the latter failed to deliver him the concert tickets as promised.
Tan reportedly promised to hand over tickets to the Jacky Cheung 60+ Concert Tour in Kuala Lumpur – which took place from Aug 11 to 13 – on Aug 1 but only if the man paid first.
China Press reported that 15 of the man’s friends purchased tickets – priced between RM388 and RM1,188 – through him.
The publication added that the man made two cash handovers and three fund transfers between June 1 and July 13 but never received the tickets.
On Aug 16, Tan was charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code in the Sessions Court, which provides a jail term of between one and 10 years, whipping and a fine upon conviction.
Tan pleaded not guilty at the time and was granted bail at RM30,000. However, she was unable to foot the bill and was detained.
The investigating officer in charge of the case told China Press that the prosecution's deputy public prosecutor had called for the Sessions Court to give Tan a reasonable punishment as the case involved huge losses, with the victim having to repay his friends for the losses sustained.
However, the woman's lawyer asked for the court to impose only a jail sentence on Tan as she has a child who's disabled. Tan also has no other source of income and can't afford to pay any fine.
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