DJ Tenashar acquitted of forgery after assessment reveals delusional disorder
Former FHM Singapore and Playboy Thailand cover girl believed she was an operative for the Internal Security Department
SINGAPORE — Club DJ and model Tenashar, a former FHM Singapore and Playboy Thailand cover girl, was acquitted of a forgery charge on Monday (10 July) after it was determined that she was of unsound mind at the time of the offence.
The 37-year-old, whose real name is Debbie Valerie Tenashar Long, was diagnosed by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) to be suffering from an unspecified delusional disorder.
According to The Straits Times, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sivanathan Jheevanesh stated in court that Tenashar believed she was an operative for the Internal Security Department (ISD), and submitted a fraudulent document based on this false belief.
"The accused was of unsound mind around the time of the offence. She was incapable of understanding the nature and wrongfulness of her act," he added.
ST reported that District Judge John Ng ordered Tenashar to be remanded at IMH until further notice. A psychiatrist will prepare a report on her case within a month.
Forgery and false claims
The court documents revealed that on 8 April last year, Tenashar filed an affidavit with the State Courts. An affidavit is a written statement that a person swears or affirms to be true, typically used as evidence in legal proceedings.
The affidavit included a letter dated 5 April, purportedly from Attorney-General Lucien Wong, to New Phoenix Park in Irrawaddy Road, where government agencies such as ISD are located.
The letter was captioned: "Long Debbie Valerie Tenashar (Plaintiff) v Lim Fung Suan (Defendant) Attorney-General's consent to institute proceedings for contempt of court."
DPP Sivanathan explained that the letter contained a forged signature of Wong and falsely stated that his consent was given for contempt of court proceedings.
Tenashar was arrested on 6 September and charged the following day. She underwent observation at IMH until 23 September, and was further investigated at the Central Police Division until 30 September.
Since then, she has been in remand at the Changi Prison Complex.
History of drug-related offences
Tenashar has a history of legal issues, with prior convictions in 2019 and 2021.
In the 2019 conviction, she was arrested at Changi Airport Terminal 1 in October 2015 for drug-related offences, after returning from a trip to Amsterdam.
Following her arrest, her urine samples tested positive for benzoylecgonine (a cocaine metabolite) and psilocin (a substance found in psychedelic mushrooms). Her luggage also contained two containers labeled "Psilocybe Atlantis Forbidden Fruit", which contained approximately 42 grams of psilocin.
Further inquiries revealed that Tenashar had purchased the drugs in Amsterdam with the intention of consuming them. She was subsequently released on bail but, despite being aware of her obligation to report back to the Central Narcotics Bureau, she left Singapore on 15 November 2015.
She returned to Singapore in May 2018 after her passport expired and was arrested upon arrival. She was sentenced to 18 months' jail for offences such as drug consumption.
In 2021, she was again sentenced to 18 months' jail over several drug-related offences.
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