A YOUNG man who extorted money from men by threatening to upload their nude videos was jailed for five years and ordered to be given five strokes of the cane.
Alexander Soh Zhi Ren, 22, had pleaded guilty to 10 of 23 charges which included theft, receiving and disposing of stolen goods and forgery.
The total amount involved for extortion was S$104,500 (RM261,250) and S$19,000 (RM47,500) for attempted extortion.
He committed the extortion and attempted extortion with his then 16-year-old girlfriend, Yap Siew Ting, who has been given probation for her role in the offences.
The court heard that soon after Soh and Yap, now 17, started their relationship last year, he came up with the idea of cheating people over the web after reading an article in the newspapers.
The article concerned individuals who befriended potential victims over Internet chatlines, took naked photos of the victims and then threatened to post such videos or photos on the Internet unless the victims paid them money. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network
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