A Filipina cleaner was sentenced to two-month imprisonment for blackmailing her employer-turned-ex-lover in Singapore by threatening to expose their relationship and show his wife photos of his genitals.
Melissa Bariga Cuizon pleaded guilty of criminal intimidation, prompting the Singaporean court to mete eight weeks of jail terms on July 18, Today digital news portal in Singapore reported.
The report said the complainant, a Singaporean married man, met the Filipina online when he was looking for the services of a part-time housekeeper on Facebook.
Cuizon started working for the Singaporean on January 6 this year. Then after a few weeks, the two began having a sexual relationship and even sent “sexual photograph of themselves” to each other, Today quoted the prosecutor as saying.Then on February 5, Cuizon asked the Singaporean if she could borrow S$3,500 (more than P120,000).
“(Cuizon) lied that it was meant to repay aloan from a loan shark where she acted as a guarantor.
The truth was, (Cuizon) wanted to use the money to repay a friend from whom she had borrowed money.” Today wrote.
The Singaporean man refused, prompting Quizon to threaten him that she would send photographs of his private parts to his wife and expose their relationship.
“The man did not budge,”Today reported.
It is not clear if the Filipina had indeed sent the photo to his wife.
But then she sent the nude photographs to another man, a certain “Adrian Wong” whom she allegedly had an online relationship.
“Adrian Wong” used the photographs and tried to blackmail the Singaporean. These threats were used as one of the evidences in the complaint of the Singaporean man.
Anyone found guilty of criminal intimidation can be jailed for up to two years or fined, or both. The sentence on Cuizon apparently was lighter as the court needs to consider another criminal charge against her, i.e. distributing intimate image.
Distributing intimate images or recordings is also a criminal offense in Singapore and can be jailed for up to five years, fined, caned or punished with any combination of the three.
Image credits: Joe Gratz/Public Domain