Singaporean man jailed for stalking Kazakhstani woman, previously convicted for harassing US singer
SINGAPORE — A man who was previously convicted of harassing an American singer in 2013 returned to court on Thursday (12 September) to face a new charge of stalking a woman from Kazakhstan whom he met at a conference.
This time, Colin Mak Yew Loong was convicted after he kept showing up at the victim’s workplace to give her gifts and sent her more than 300 harassing emails and text messages.
Mak was jailed two months after he pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful stalking.
In December 2013, the 44-year-old Singaporean was jailed three years and fined $5,000 for harassing four women - American singer-actress Leandra Ramm, Ukrainian musician Veronika Sakhno, Hungarian musician Krasznai Tuende Ilona, and a businesswoman - for over six years.
For the latest offence, Mak met the victim, a 31-year-old Kazakhstani, in November last year at a conference held at Marina Bay Sands.
From 1 to 7 November, Mak sent a total of 173 harassing messages to the victim, who only sent 20 messages in reply.
On 7 November, Mak sent a message to the victim asking for her shoe size. The woman felt uncomfortable and declined to provide her shoe size to him. She stopped replying to Mak after the message.
However, Mak continued to message the victim until 1 December, sending a total of 105 messages. The victim then blocked Mak’s number.
Mak also sent 62 emails to the woman’s email account from 1 November last year to 29 July this year.
He showed up uninvited at the woman’s workplace in February this year. After asking a pass holder to open the door to the woman’s office, he entered and offered the woman a soft toy as a gift. The woman rejected the gift and told him that she did not want to see him.
Her rejection did not deter Mak, who again visited the office on 1 July and attempted to give another gift. He was rebuffed again.
The next day, the woman sent an email to Mak, stating that she had never shown any interest in him and did not want a relationship with him. She told him that she felt uncomfortable with his behaviour. However, Mak continued to email her.
On 24 July last year, Mak returned to the woman’s office and tried to give her another gift. He was again rejected and told that he was unwelcome.
Two days later, Mak visited the office and entered the office when another pass holder opened the door for him. The woman was not in the office and Mak left.
The woman made a police report later that day and Mak was arrested a few days later.
Mak, who was unrepresented, told the court that he had never threatened the woman. He said that the emails that he sent to her were about politics and collaboration, and that he wanted to take responsibility for his actions.
In sentencing Mak, District Judge Luke Tan noted that it was Mak’s first conviction for stalking but he had many past offences of a similar nature.
“You may not have threatened her here and the prosecution agrees, but this kind of act will cause distress to (the victim).”
DJ Tan told Mak that if he were to be sentenced again, he would face a harsher sentence.
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