Gay Sex Orgy Trial Shocks Singapore

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fountainhall

Gay Sex Orgy Trial Shocks Singapore

Post by fountainhall »

This tale might not be so extraordinary in many other countries. In squeaky-clean Singapore it has shocked most residents. Like many salacious stories, it has many layers and I will only concentrate on a few key parts here. It all starts with one seemingly isolated event.

The Leak

Six months ago, the Ministry of Health in Singapore announced that the HIV-positive status of 14,200 people had been leaked online by an “unauthorised person”, along with confidential information including ID numbers and contact details. The patients had been a mix of Singaporeans and foreigners diagnosed between 1985 and 2011. Of the Singaporeans, 1,900 had died. Of the others, 90% were male.

Investigators found that the information was leaked by an HIV-positive gay American named Mikhy K Ferrara Brochez who had lived in Singapore from 2008. He was convicted, served 28 months in a Singapore jail and deported in 2018.

The Doctor Boyfriend

Before arriving in Singapore, Brochez met and fell in love with a Singaporean doctor. To protect his lover, the doctor gave Brochez his own blood sample so that Brochez could pass the blood test required by the Ministry for Manpower for those wishing to work in Singapore. The doctor was something of a high flyer in the Singapore medical profession. Between March 2012 and May 2013, Ler Teck Siang became the Head of the Singapore Ministry of Health’s National Public Health Unit. In that post he had access to HIV records. For reasons unclear at the time, Ler handed many of these over to Brochez.

Discovery

It took a long time until the MOH become aware of the leak of documents but it had no idea how it had occurred. By this time Dr. Ler and Brochez had drifted apart and were no longer living together. With Ler obviously under suspicion, he was moved from his post and assigned to another role in the MOH where he would not have access to the HIV Registry.

Ler resigned from the MOH in January 2014. By early 2016 the MOH suspected a conspiracy involving both Ler and Brochez. A police report against Brochez was lodged. The apartments of both men were searched and materials seized. Brochez was arrested and charged with various crimes.

By May 2018 Brochez had served his sentence and left Singapore. The MOH then received information that Brochez was in possession of additional copies of some of the HIV records. The police were informed, but nothing had been released and no information had up to that point been made public. Then the information appeared online. Explaining the MOH reasons for the slow process of its own investigations, the city state’s Permanent Secretary of Health, Chan Heng Kee, said
"In a case where the information is more contained, we will take a more conservative approach given that we do know that the persons in this registry would have concerns about a public announcement"
After Brochez had been deported, Ler was charged with abetting Brochez to commit cheating against the Ministry of Manpower and providing false information to the police and the MOH. In September last year he was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail. But he appealed and remained free on bail until the appeal could be heard in March this year. He also retained his doctor’s license.

The Lovers Fall Out

On February 12 this year Health Minister Gan Kim Yong delivered a ministerial statement in Parliament. The following was included in his remarks.
Brochez alleged that in November 2012 Ler disclosed the confidential information to him through screenshots of his own HIV status and that of others. Searcing through Brochez’ emails, it was discovered that he had at some time also sent the same screenshots he had received from Ler to government authorities, as well as a file full of other confidential information.

It was clear that the break-up between Brochez and Ler had been acrimonious.

During their investigations, the police uncovered a lot of additional information regarding drug use involving the former lovers. It seemed certain that Ler might have been involved in more than just use of the drugs. Drug offences carry much stiffer penalties in Singapore. It was therefore decided to instigate a separate legal action against Ler while at the same time the police were attempting to gain more information from Brochez in the USA.

Ler Appeals Against His September 2018 Sentence

During his Appeal, Ler basically implied he had been set up. He stated that he had lied to the police by admitting to cheating offences when interrogated in September 2016. He claimed that this was to “retaliate” against the MOH “discrimination” of his sexual orientation. He added that he was led to believe that the interrogation was only for the purpose of assisting into investigations regarding the data breach at the MOH. In fact, he said, it was “clearly for the primary purpose of extracting a confession to cheating.”

By this time aged 37, Ler also claimed that Brochez had not been HIV positive when he was tested after his arrival in Singapore. He also denied providing his own blood to Brochez. Ler lost his Appeal, commenced his jail sentence and his medical registration was suspended for nine months.

Ler’s New Trial on Sex and Drug Charges

Ler’s second trial commenced at the end of May. The revelations of extensive drug use and gay sex parties have shocked Singapore.

One of the charges is that Ler used his medical skills to provide “slamming services” to others. I had never heard of this expression before. Apparently it means administering controlled drugs by injection. Specifically he was charged with twice administering metamphetamine to a man named Sim Eng Chee at the Swissotel The Stamford Hotel in February 2018 and again at The Conrad Centennial Hotel five days later. But before the two men could enter Sim’s room at the Conrad, hotel staff had discovered drugs and drug-related paraphernalia in the room. The two were detained and arrested. Ler faces up to 10 years in jail if found guilty.

Yesterday, 44-year old Sim took the witness stand. Already a regular drug user before he met Ler, Sim stated he is a tutor and consultant earning between S$7,000 and S$10,000 per month (as much as US$7,400). Sim told the court that he had come to know of Ler at a “session” where two or more gay sex buddies had met to take drugs and engage in sex.

Sim claims he noticed that his sex partner had a high that was not induced by smoking meth. After asking him about it, he was told that Ler had provided slamming services for him. He was given Ler’s contact on Grindr where he used the name “Todd”. Sim added that Ler had once used the name “Help is here”. Sim used the name “Altitude” on Grindr.

After meeting Ler, Sim began to use his service to administer meth. Sim and Ler worked out a way for Sim to contact Ler when his services were required. In some messages, Sim would specify the amount of meth he would require as well as how many people would be requiring Ler’s services at the next gay sex party. Sometimes, Sim alleges, he would seek Ler’s services twice a day. Sim also invited Ler to take part in the orgies.
"Since he will be there to inject me, I don't mind him staying around to play if he's open to it," said Sim. "Because I think if we engage in drugs and the sexual activities that follow, inhibitions will be removed and we are technically quite fine with having sex with everyone."
Ler’s services to Sim and his sex partners continued for more than six months before both were arrested. Sim was paid a small fee of S$40 for his services which he occasionally asked to be paid for in the form of other grugs Sim used.

The trial continues today. Ler is conducting his own defence dressed in his prison garb.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/si ... 082018_cna
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/si ... 082018_cna
https://ww.channelnewsasia.com/news/sin ... s-11708612
fountainhall

Re: Gay Sex Orgy Trial Shocks Singapore

Post by fountainhall »

In Court today, there was an unusual reference to "slamming" being in connection with a massage service and having nothing to do with the injection of drugs. Dr. Ker who is conducting his own defence was cross-examining Sim who had organised the gay group sex parties and claims Ker would inject him at his request with metamphetmine beforehand.

I don't know if anyone else has heard of the phrase "for a slamming good time" referring to anything, even a massage. I certainly haven't. I have visited Singapore well over 100 times and occasionally spent up to a month there. In my experience I have never heard "slamming" used there in any connection other than in relation to a door!
During Ler's cross-examination of Sim on Thursday, Ler asked Sim if he recalled that Ler's profile on Grindr - a dating app for gay people - specified that he was offering a massage service.

Sim replied no.

Ler then said his Grindr profile had a description that read "for a slamming good time", and asked Sim if he remembered informing him that "slamming" had a different connotation involving drugs.

"Do you recall that I was horrified by the wrong choice of words?" Ler said to Sim.

"Slamming" became an inside joke, Ler added.

Subsequently, whenever Sim wanted a massage, he would refer to it as a "slam", the doctor told the court.

"(You) misrepresented the nature of my service to you, which in truth did not involve the administering of methamphetamine to you," said Ler
Humm!

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ ... ces-not-to
fountainhall

Re: Gay Sex Orgy Trial Shocks Singapore

Post by fountainhall »

Taking the witness stand today, Ler not only contradicted testimony he had given to the police when arrested, he put forward arguments that the Deputy Public Prosecutor suggested were lies and afterthoughts.
Straws and a meth-stained syringe found on Singaporean doctor Ler Teck Siang by narcotics officers had been meant for “arts and crafts” projects such as folding an origami star, Ler told a court on Friday

The items were discovered in Ler's bag when he and tutor Sim Eng Chee were arrested on March 2 last year after drugs and drug-related item were found in Sim's hotel room [at the Conrad Centennial Hotel] . . .

Taking the witness stand on the fifth day of his trial, Ler told the court that the straws were to be folded into an origami star and a dog figurine, and he had intended to dispose of the syringe but forgot about it for six months.

He claimed the straws and syringe were taken from the study room of his former partner, American Mikhy Farrera-Brochez, 34 . . .

When narcotics officers asked Ler about the syringe in his bag on March 2, he told them that it was an insulin syringe as he felt that they "did not recognise it as an insulin syringe", said Ler.

Later on, Ler said he told them that he used it to dislodge food particles in his teeth, a practice that he learnt from Farrera-Brochez.

"Subsequently when results (from the Health Sciences Authority) came back... I remembered that I recovered this syringe from the study room of my ex-partner," said Ler . . .

During his cross-examination, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicholas Wuan asked Ler if he agreed with the proposition that Farrera-Brochez would not have left the syringes lying around if the American man had HIV.

Ler replied: "I have no information to answer that."
Arts and crafts projects? Using a meth-stained syringe as a tooth pick? A doctor forgetting to dispose of a syringe for six months? If I were on the jury, I doubt if I would have found any of that believable!

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ ... r-arts-and
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Re: Gay Sex Orgy Trial Shocks Singapore

Post by Gaybutton »

fountainhall wrote: Fri Jul 12, 2019 6:28 pm Arts and crafts projects? Using a meth-stained syringe as a tooth pick? A doctor forgetting to dispose of a syringe for six months? If I were on the jury, I doubt if I would have found any of that believable!
You mean you think he might be telling a little fib . . . ?

If that's what this guy is trying to pass off as believable testimony, then unless he's rehearsing a comedy act, somebody better check his IQ.
gera

Re: Gay Sex Orgy Trial Shocks Singapore

Post by gera »

For me the only moral of this story is that something is rotten in the kingdom of Denmark
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