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Sheng Siong case: Accomplice says accused threatened to expose sexual relationship

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Yahoo file photo of Supreme Court

The accused in the Sheng Siong kidnapping case was a former lover who later became a “godbrother”, said the accomplice about his relationship with Lee Sze Yong.

Heng Chen Boon said on Tuesday (30 August) that Lee, 44, asked him for help to kidnap Ng Lye Poh, the mother of Lim Hock Chee, who is the owner of the Sheng Siong supermarket chain.

But Heng refused to do so initially, prompting Lee to threaten that he would tell Heng’s mother about their sexual relationship.

The 51-year-old accomplice, who was testifying in the High Court on the first day of Lee’s trial, was previously sentenced to three years’ jail for his role in abducting Ng on 8 January 2014.

Lee, who kept his head bowed most of the time during the trial, faces one charge of kidnapping. If found guilty, he may be sentenced to life imprisonment and caning, or the death penalty.

Heng, who was released from prison in January this year, said he was staying together with Lee in a flat in Hougang. Lee’s mother was also staying with the two men, Heng added.

From Hougang to Punggol Jetty to Kranji

Wearing a red checked shirt in court, Heng said that Lee had told him that he was a private investigator besides being a sales executive.

On the day of the alleged kidnapping, the soft-spoken Heng said that he was at work when Lee called him for help at 2pm.

“He asked me to take his Volkswagen car from a carpark in Hougang and drive to Punggol jetty to meet him. I asked him why but he just asked me to do it. I took a taxi home to take the car keys before heading to the car park and proceeding to Punggol,” Heng said in Mandarin through an interpreter.

When Heng reached Punggol, he saw Lee standing next to a white Honda car. He was surprised to see Lee leading an elderly woman, who was blindfolded, out of the car. Heng questioned Lee, who replied that he was doing his job as a private investigator.

“He asked me to drive the Honda and follow him (and the woman in his Volkswagen). I asked him again what was happening but he said not to ask any question. So I followed his instruction. We ended up at Kranji,” Heng explained.

Lee then asked Heng to drive the rented Honda back to the rental company in Hougang. Heng did so and thereafter, he went home.

Confession at Sembawang Park

Later in the evening, Lee told Heng through a phone call to take a taxi to meet him at Sembawang Park.

When Heng reached Sembawang Park, he was surprised to see the blindfolded woman still sitting at the passenger seat of the Volkswagen car. Lee confessed to Heng at the park that he had kidnapped the woman.

“He said she was the mother of the owner of Sheng Siong. I scolded him but he said there is no turning back now. I refused to help him further but he threatened to tell my mother about our sexual relationship,” he said.

Lee then asked Heng to drive the Volkswagen from Sembawang Park to a quiet road.

After Heng drove Lee and the woman to the road, Lee instructed Heng to look after the woman and warn him if there were any signs of the police. But Heng was scared to do so and instead, he drove them back to Sembawang Park.

“He told me he was going to collect the ransom and left. I sat in the car and then I saw two police cars driving past. I messaged him about it. A few minutes later, he messaged me and asked me to drive back to the dark road where we were at earlier.

"It was there when I saw him appearing from the bushes and he was carrying one of his shoes in his hand,” said Heng, who was then instructed to drive to a multi-storey carpark, where he parted ways with Lee.

When Heng returned home, he called Lee who said he was going to a friend’s place. Lee also informed Heng that he had released the woman before hanging up.

Heng was arrested a few minutes after the call when police officers raided the Hougang flat. Court papers revealed that Lee was arrested at Sembawang Park when he returned to the park to retrieve the money in the early morning of 9 January.

Sheng Siong boss negotiated with the “kidnapper”

Earlier in the trial, Lim took to the stand to give evidence. Speaking in Mandarin through an interpreter, Lim said he received a telephone call from a Chinese man on 8 January 2014.

The man said that he had kidnapped the Sheng Siong owner’s mother. He demanded $20 million from Lim and warned him not to report the matter to the police. Lim said that he was shocked when he received the call, which was from a Malaysian number.

“I called my home and found out that my mother had left for the market at Hougang. I asked my maid to look for my mother. I also tried to call my mother via her handphone, which was switched off,” said Lim.

Later, Lim received an SMS from the same number, warning him that he can “forget about seeing his mother again” if he contacted the police.

Lim, the fifth of Ng’s nine children, immediately contacted his siblings to tell them about the incident. They gathered at Lim’s office in Kranji before he proceeded to lodge a police report.

Lim also contacted OCBC to request for the $20 million ransom to be prepared. However, the bank said it needed more time to process his request and can only get the amount the next day.

The bank was able to release a few million dollars for Lim to use as ransom. Later, the man contacted Lim again at about 6 pm and Lim managed to negotiate the ransom down to $2 million. Lim was instructed to proceed to Yishun Stadium at 9.30 pm.

When Lim reached the location at 9.45 pm, however, he received a call to proceed to Andrew Avenue at 10.25 pm. It was there when Lim was instructed to head to Sembawang Park where he dropped a bag containing the money behind a tree.

Lim was later informed via SMS that his mother was at a bus stop near Seletar Camp at about 12 am.

The trial continues on Wednesday (31 August).