SINGAPORE - A woman was sentenced to nine weeks’ jail and a fine of $600 on Oct 24 after she posted videos of herself chanting gang slogans on TikTok as she wanted to gain attention and earn money from virtual gifts.
In an unrelated case, Nur Syafiqa Abdullah, 22, was also disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for two years from her release date after she rode a rented motorcycle despite not having a licence to do so.
On Sept 6, she pleaded guilty to one count of acting as a member of a secret society. She also admitted to two traffic-related offences. Three other charges were considered during sentencing.
In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Thaddeus Tan told the court that Nur chanted a gang slogan in her Sengkang flat during her first live streaming in May 2023.
She committed a similar offence in her home the following month and during this second live streaming, she received various virtual gifts which she exchanged for about US$64 (S$83).
The prosecutor added: “Encouraged by her past success, the accused decided to post another video of herself in July 2023 as she felt bored and wanted to attract attention and to earn more money... The accused recorded a video of herself outside (an East Coast Park eatery reciting a gang chant).”
Later that month, she recorded another video while she was on the Slingshot Singapore thrill ride at Clarke Quay.
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On Aug 16, 2023, a man lodged a police report complaining that she was advocating for secret societies on TikTok.
There were four videos in all and each clip was played between 270,800 and 499,200 times by Aug 17 that year.
Nur was arrested a week later and released the same day, only to reoffend on Dec 12, 2023, when she rode a male companion’s rented motorcycle in the Kaki Bukit area.
This offence came to light when a Traffic Police officer stopped her and found that she did not have a licence.
Nur’s bail was set at $10,000 on Oct 24 and she is expected to begin serving her sentence in January 2025.