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COVID-19: Actor Terence Cao charged over 13-person gathering at his house

(PHOTO: Terence Cao / Facebook)
(PHOTO: Terence Cao / Facebook)

SINGAPORE — Local actor Terence Cao was charged on Tuesday (2 March) over a gathering of 13 individuals, including other celebrities, at his condominium unit in October last year.

The gathering, which was between 2 and 3 October at the condominium in Daisy Road, was allegedly in breach of COVID-19 regulations, which prohibit more than five visitors in a household. The gathering was reportedly to celebrate fellow artiste Jeffrey Xu's birthday.

A photo uploaded last October shows 13 people, including local deejay Sonia Chew and actor Shane Pow, at the gathering.

Cao, 53, was handed one charge of permitting 12 individuals to enter his house for a birthday celebration between 9pm on 2 October and about 1am on 3 October last year.

Another 50-year-old man, Lance Lim Chee Keong, was also charged over the same incident. Lim was handed one charge of gathering outside his residence with 12 individuals who were not from the same household between the same time period.

Court documents did not state the relationship between Lim and Cao.

Cao is represented by lawyer S S Dhillon from Dhillon and Panoo, while Lim is represented by Josephus Tan and Cory Wong from Invictus Law.

Dhillon asked the court for six weeks' adjournment. The lawyer said that he intended to interview other accused involved to see if it helps with his client's case.

The cases for Cao and Lim will be mentioned again on 27 April.

Eleven of the guests have been fined $300 in relation to the incident, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) previously said. They are Xu, Pow, Chew, Jeremy Chan Ming Yuew, Heng Tee Kok, Tan Jun Chuan, Debbie Li Shuyi, Eleanor Wang Chunwei, Valnice Yek Jiahui, Dawn Yeoh Yishan and Julie Tan Shaoyin.

The BCA said that in deciding to issue the 11 a composition fine instead of prosecuting them, it had taken into account the level of their culpability in relation to the breach.

If convicted of flouting COVID-19 regulations, Cao and Lim will each face a jail term of up to six months and a maximum fine of $10,000.

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