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Man jailed for blackmailing 4 women with explicit videos and photos

Hooded man using laptop in the dark room
Photo from Getty Images

SINGAPORE — He met women through Facebook and when the relationships soured, he threatened to post explicit photographs or videos of them online.

In one case, Muhamad Farid Mohd Fakhri posted a sex video of his ex-girlfriend with the caption “stay tune (sic) for more” after she ignored his messages.

Farid, 29, was jailed three months and four weeks on Thursday (27 February) after he pleaded guilty to charges of criminal intimidation, voluntarily causing hurt and committing mischief. Another eight charges, including blackmailing other women with sex videos, were taken into consideration for sentencing.

Apart from posting sex videos of women, one of whom was married, he also assaulted a former girlfriend who wanted to break up with him, and destroyed the mobile phone of a passenger he had picked up as a Grab driver.

Assaulted woman who wanted to break up with him

Farid, who is currently engaged, added one of his victims on Facebook in early 2017. They started dating and Farid left some of his belongings at the 22-year-old woman’s house.

On 2 May 2017, the woman wanted to break up with Farid and asked him to collect his belongings from her house. However Farid remained at the house and began looking through the woman’s messages for evidence of cheating.

The next day, he confronted the woman, and punched the back of her head, chest and rib cage in anger as he believed she was cheating on him. He then left the house for work and did not return.

The woman experienced headaches, pain over the back of her head as well as occasional dizziness from the abuse. Her family, who were overseas then, returned three days later and brought her to the hospital.

She was found with bruises over her head, breast, and chest, and also had problems in her neck. The woman was treated with a Voltaren injection and referred to a neurosurgeon.

The hospital also informed the police about the assault case.

Met another victim on Facebook months later

Farid came to know the second victim, a 28-year-old woman, through Facebook in September 2017. They were in a relationship for a short time before breaking up.

On 4 December 2017, after the two had parted ways, Farid was unhappy that the woman ignored his messages. He threatened to upload “something” online if she continued to ignore him.

The woman continued to ignore him and at about 5pm, Farid told her that he had posted a video of themselves having sex on Facebook. This sex video was filmed at an earlier stage in their relationship, and the victim was aware of it. However, she did not know that Farid kept the sex video.

The victim saw that the posted video with the caption “stay tune (sic) for more” on Farid’s Facebook wall. The post was set to private so that only Farid and the victim could see it. She immediately told her sister-in-law, who called the police. The victim also took a screenshot of the post, intending to lodge a police report herself.

Added married woman on Facebook

A year later, Farid randomly added a third victim, a 30-year-old woman, on Facebook in November 2018. This victim was married. The two chatted on Facebook messenger for about a week before exchanging handphone numbers with each other.

About a week after exchanging numbers, Farid suggested that they exchanged nude photographs and the woman agreed as she was romantically interested in Farid. She sent a picture of her genitals and thigh to Farid.

On 18 November 2018, Farid asked for more nude photographs but the woman refused. Farid was unhappy but said he would ask her again the next day.

The next day, at about 2.30am, Farid started badgering for nude photographs again. When the woman refused, Farid threatened to post the explicit photos on Facebook and shame her. He also threatened to reveal their conversation to her husband.

The woman felt alarmed as she had previously given her home and work addresses to Farid so that he could send her home from work.

She told Farid she would report him to the police, but Farid merely said he would post the photographs on Facebook. Then woman then lodged a police report.

Violent towards Grab passenger

In an unrelated offence, Farid attacked a 48-year-old Grab passenger whom he had ferried.

On 9 June 2018, the man and his girlfriend booked a Grab ride after midnight. Farid was assigned as his driver.

Upon boarding Farid’s car, the couple noticed Farid blasting music from his stereo. The man asked if Farid could turn the volume down, but Farid told the man that it was his car.

The man started filming Farid with his mobile phone, intending to submit the video to Grab for a complaint.

The man repeated his request again in the video but Farid told him to alight and that he would cancel the ride. The man told Farid to send the couple home, but Farid parked the car at the side of the road and told them to get out.

At about 1.55am, the man alighted and slammed the door to express his unhappiness. Farid also alighted and snatched the phone from the victim. Farid slammed the phone onto the ground, saying it was retaliation for slamming the door of his car. The iPhone X, worth $1,800, was completely shattered on impact. The accused did not compensate the man.

Farid’s lawyer, Dhanwant Singh, said his client reacted in “the spur of the moment” to the slamming of the car door. He also told the judge that Farid’s fiancee was pregnant.

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