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SINGAPORE: Mediacorp artist Terence Cao Guohui and his guest were charged on Tuesday (March 2) with disobeying COVID-19 regulations during a birthday party in October last year.
Cao, 53, broke the law by allowing 12 people who were not part of his household to enter and remain at his home on Daisy Road near Upper Serangoon, according to court documents.
Terence Cao in state court on March 2, 2021 (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
Lance Lim Chee Keong, 50, one of the visitors, broke the law by meeting with 12 other people who were not from his home.
Lim also invited three of the visitors to the party despite knowing that doing so would cause the gathering to exceed the allowed number, the court heard.
Lance Lim was indicted on March 2, 2021 along with Mediacorp artist Terence Cao for violating COVID-19 regulations during a birthday party. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
At the time of the crime, Singapore was in Phase 2 of its reopening, with a limit of five visitors allowed for homes. Singapore entered Phase 3 on December 28, with up to eight visitors now allowed.
Both Cao and Lim were charged pursuant to the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulation 2020.
READ: Jeffrey Xu, Shane Pow, Terence Cao, Sonia Chew apologize for breaking social distancing rules
READ: 2 men will be charged with violating COVID-19 regulations at birthday gathering
The rape came to light in December last year after a reader contacted Shin Min Daily News about a photo of 13 people standing together without masks.
The artists in the photo were originally identified as Cao, Jeffrey Xu, and Shane Pow. Mediacorp later said that a fourth artist, 987FM deejay Sonia Chew, was also present at the meeting.
Local celebrities Julie Tan and Jeremy Chan were also seen in the photo.
Mediacorp says the artists “deeply regret” having violated COVID-19 rules. (Photo: Instagram / jeffrey_xu)
Mediacorp said in a statement that it takes the matter “very seriously” and that it cooperated with authorities in the investigation. The company “does not approve” the actions of the four artists, a spokesperson said.
“The company has conducted an internal review and disciplinary action will be taken,” the spokesperson added.
“The artists deeply regret and take responsibility for their actions. They apologize for the mistake and assure everyone that this will not happen again.”
Cao is represented by attorney SS Dhillion, while Lim is represented by attorneys Josephus Tan and Cory Wong.
If convicted, both face fines of up to S $ 10,000 and up to six months in jail.
The other 11 guests have each been fined S $ 300, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said in a press release last month.
“In deciding to impose a composition fine on them instead of prosecuting them, the level of their guilt in relation to the offense was taken into account,” a spokesperson said.
A notice was also issued to the management of the condominium where Cao lives to remind him to adhere to safe driving measures, BCA added.
