PARIS: Former French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, whose 2017 bid for the presidency was torpedoed by a fake job scandal involving his wife, will face trial over the allegations, a judicial source told AFP on Tuesday (Apr 23).

Investigating judges have recommended a trial for Fillon and his British wife Penelope on charges of misusing public money, conspiracy and failing to fully disclose their financial situation to a French watchdog.

Fillon was widely viewed as being on course to win the French presidency before the revelations were published by the investigative newspaper Le Canard Enchaine in January 2017, shattering his credibility.

Over several articles, the newspaper said it had seen payslips for Welsh-born Penelope showing she had been paid 680,000 euros (US$725,000) as a parliamentary assistant to Fillon between 1986 and 2013, but had done little or no work at the national assembly.

Fillon finished third in the first round of voting with 20.01 percent of ballots cast, behind centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen.

Under France's legal system, Fillon can appeal the decision to put him on trial.

SINGAPORE: Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat will be promoted to Deputy Prime Minister as part of the latest changes to the Cabinet, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) announced on Tuesday (Apr 23). 

Mr Heng will remain Finance Minister, said the press statement, and continue chairing the Future Economy Council and National Research Foundation. 

"He will be appointed Acting Prime Minister in the Prime Minister's absence," PMO said.  

Current deputy prime ministers Teo Chee Hean and Tharman Shanmugaratnam will relinquish the role. 

They will, however, remain in Cabinet as senior ministers, with Mr Teo continuing as Coordinating Minister for National Security.

Mr Tharman will be re-designated as Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, and will continue to advise the Prime Minister on economic policies, PMO added. 

He has also been appointed deputy chairman of GIC. 

The Cabinet changes take effect on May 1. 

"NEXT GENERATION LEADERSHIP TAKING SHAPE": PM LEE

The promotion of Mr Heng is further indication that he is frontrunner to be Singapore's next prime minister. Last November, he was appointed the People's Action Party first assistant secretary-general.

"The next generation leadership is taking shape and progressively taking over from me and my older colleagues," said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a Facebook post shortly after the announcement of the Cabinet changes.

"The team is working closely together, building up public trust and confidence in their leadership," he said.

"I ask all Singaporeans to support them and work together to secure a bright future for Singapore."

In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Heng said he was "deeply honoured" to be entrusted with the appointment. 

"I have benefited tremendously from the wise counsel and advice of PM Lee, DPMs Teo and Tharman, as well as my other Cabinet colleagues," said Mr Heng. 

"My colleagues and I are united in our purpose to serve Singaporeans to the best of our abilities. 

"Together with our fellow Members of Parliament and the public service, we will seek to build strong relationships with fellow Singaporeans, work together with all to take Singapore forward and build a better future for our people," he added. 

Mr Teo also issued a statement congratulating Mr Heng and said that the changes are another important step in leadership renewal. 

"I will continue in Cabinet to support PM Lee and DPM Heng in whatever way I can, and work together with them, Mr Chan Chun Sing and other younger leaders for the security, safety and success of our country," said Mr Teo.

"This is the Singapore way of ensuring smooth leadership transition, continuity and stability. Senior leaders make way in good time for the next generation, share their experience and help the next generation of leaders to succeed."

Mr Teo also thanked the Prime Minister and other colleagues for their support over the last 10 years that he has been deputy prime minister. 

"I also hope to continue to have the support of our Pasir Ris-Punggol residents to continue as their MP at the next General Election," he added.

This is the fourth Cabinet reshuffle during the current Government's term, with previous rounds taking place in August 2016, September 2017 and May 2018. 

The reshuffle last year was "more extensive than usual", Mr Lee had said, with younger, fourth-generation ministers heading two-thirds of the ministries.

Those changes saw long-serving ministers Mr Lim Hng Kiang, Mr Lim Swee Say and Dr Yaacob Ibrahim retiring from their posts, and the return of Mr Chan Chun Sing to Government as Minister for Trade and Industry after three years with the National Trades Union Congress.

SINGAPORE: A maid accused of murdering her employer by stabbing and cutting her nearly 100 times allegedly planned the deed weeks earlier, writing in her diary that she had to "be brave" and carry out her plan quickly.

Indonesian national Daryati, now 26, had been working for her 59-year-old employer Madam Seow Kim Choo at her home in Telok Kurau for only two months in 2016 when she allegedly killed her as she was homesick and longing for her lover in Hong Kong.

She earned S$580 a month, including S$80 as compensation for not having days off. Daryati split her duties, such as cooking, cleaning and doing laundry for some family members, with another Indonesian maid.

On May 12, 2016, almost a month after she started working for her Singaporean employers, Daryati allegedly wrote in her diary: "I must carry out this plan quickly. I have to be brave even though life is at stake. I am ready to face all risks/consequences, whatever the risk, I must be ready to accept it. I hope that this plan succeed (sic) and run smoothly. My employer's family is my target. DEATH!!!"

Daryati, who claimed trial on Tuesday (Apr 23) to a single charge of murder punishable by death, planned to get her passport, which was locked in a safe, and steal money for her return to Indonesia, the prosecution claimed.

She purportedly told the family's other domestic helper, 27-year-old Don Hayati, about her plan of stealing money from Mdm Seow and going back to her country.

​DARYATI PREPARED WEAPONS AND MAP, PROSECUTION SAYS

She asked Don Hayati to help her in her scheme to get both their passports, without telling her about the alleged murder, by asking Don Hayati to distract Mdm Seow's husband, Mr Ong Thiam Soon.

She told Don Hayati that she would give the code word "jaga bawah", which means "watch below", to kick-start the plan. Don Hayati would then distract Mr Ong and turn off the closed-circuit television cameras and electricity supply in the house.

While Mr Ong was busy trying to restart the power supply, the two maids would steal cash from an office on the first floor of the house, said the prosecution, led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Wong Kok Weng.

Daryati drew a map of the three-storey house in her diary on Jun 2, 2016, plotting a path to take to get her passport and escape. She then allegedly hid weapons around the second floor of the house, concealing a Kukri knife in the walk-in wardrobe area of the master bedroom, a hammer next to a study table and a short knife in a basket under the sink of the toilet in the master bedroom.

The prosecution claims that Daryati intended to attack Mdm Seow with the knives, while the hammer was to hit Mdm Seow's daughter-in-law with if she came down to the second floor.

Daryati carried out her alleged plan on Jun 7, 2016. After making sure that Mdm Seow's brother was counting cash in the office on the first floor, Daryati waited for the man to leave along with Mdm Seow's two sons.

At about 8pm, she hid a knife in her pants and went up to the master bedroom holding a pair of Mdm Seow's ironed pants, while uttering the code word "jaga bawah" to Don Hayati.

Mdm Seow was alone in her bedroom when Daryati entered. The maid passed her the ironed pants in the walk-in wardrobe and took out the knife from her own pants.

Pointing the knife at Mdm Seow, Daryati demanded that her passport be returned to her, but the older woman shouted.

SHE STABBED EMPLOYER REPEATEDLY, TUSSLED WITH HER HUSBAND

Daryati then dragged her into the attached toilet and closed the door, before slashing and stabbing her neck, head and face repeatedly until Mdm Seow collapsed on the floor, claimed the prosecution.

After this, Daryati allegedly took the short knife she had hidden under the sink in the toilet and squatted beside her employer to make sure she was dead.

When Mdm Seow tried to pull herself up, Daryati stabbed her again multiple times on her neck until she lay motionless, prosecutors said. According to her own statement to the police later, Daryati knew that "any person will die if they are stabbed so many times".

Amid the commotion, Mdm Seow's husband came to the master bedroom and called for his wife. When nobody answered, he grew worried and used a screwdriver to open the toilet door, which Daryati had locked.

Once the door was open, Daryati is said to have attacked Mr Ong with a knife, but he managed to disarm her, throwing the knife aside and pushing her to the ground.

However, she retrieved the knife and allegedly stabbed him again on the neck while he was checking on his wife.

Mr Ong then restrained Daryati and took her out of the toilet, while his daughter-in-law called for an ambulance.

Paramedics arrived and found Mdm Seow in the toilet, which was "a bloodied mess", prosecutors said. They pronounced her dead at 9.03pm.

According to an autopsy report, there were 78 incised and stab wounds on Mdm Seow's head and neck, one stab wound on her abdomen, and 19 incised and stab wounds on her left upper limb, with multiple facial fractures in her skull.

The prosecution will call the forensic pathologist who prepared the report to the stand in order to testify that Mdm Seow died from the multiple wounds to her head and neck, which resulted in massive bleeding.

ACCUSED SITTING ON PORCH WITH BLOODY FACE: POLICE OFFICER

According to the prosecution's first witness, Senior Station Inspector Roslan Ahmat from Marine Parade Neighbourhood Police Centre, Daryati was sitting on the front porch when he arrived at the scene at 8.55pm. 

Mr Roslan, who was the first police officer on the scene, heard shouting and crying and saw Daryati with a "bloodied" face. Her hands were restrained with a cable tie, he told the court.

According to him, Daryati "spoke softly and replied in Bahasa Indonesia", saying she was assaulted by her female employer as the latter was unhappy with the way she had ironed the clothes.

Daryati claimed that her employer took a knife from under the bed and attacked her, pushing her head in the sink. She then asked Mr Roslan to help her.

She was taken to a hospital. A psychiatric report from the Institute of Mental Health found that she had been suffering from adjustment disorder in the two weeks leading up to the time of Mdm Seow's death, but this did not amount to a major mental disorder, and she was assessed as fit to stand trial.

On Tuesday, the first day of the trial, Daryati sat in the dock with shorn hair and in her purple prison outfit, listening to proceedings through a Bahasa Indonesia interpreter.

She is represented by lawyer Mohamed Muzammil, who was appointed by the Indonesian embassy.

The trial resumes for a second day on Wednesday, and will go into a second tranche at a later date. 

If found guilty of murder with the intention of causing death, she faces the death penalty.

A second charge of attempted murder of Mr Ong has been stood down.

VOHIBOLA, Madagascar: Under a leaden sky, six rangers walk silently in single file through Vohibola, one of the last primary forests in eastern Madagascar.

Alert to the slightest movement and sound, Michael Tovolahy's patrol is tracking poachers who are inflicting grievous harm to this jewel of biodiversity.

The poachers are targeting lemurs, primates battling the threat of extinction, and are chopping down trees, some of them rare hardwoods, to burn for charcoal.

"In this forest, there are at least 20 indigenous animal species, including six types of lemur, and 150 species of tree," says Tovolahy, whose nickname is Nabe.

"Because of these logger-poachers, I fear that this forest will one day be no more - it will be just an empty space, where developers will grow walls of concrete."

A terrible irony is that a 2014 documentary, Island Of Lemurs, which did so much to draw attention to the cuddly animals' plight, unwittingly encouraged a market to have them as caged pets.

Some kill the harmless creatures for food, others sell them as pets - and to get to their prey, they chop down precious tropical trees.

"Nocturnal lemurs are very easy to capture because they sleep in the daytime," explains Tovolahy.

The poachers cut down the trees surrounding their nest, which provides the lemurs with a means of flight. All they have to do then is to shake the tree until the animal falls out.

UNIQUE

Lemurs are among the many wildlife treasures that are unique to Madagascar.

Out of 111 recorded lemur species, 105 face the threat of extinction, says the Lemur Conservation Network (LCN).

Other damage to Vohibola and its natural population is being inflicted by the simple need for wood for cooking.

The forest patrol frequently encounters the dismayng sight of empty spaces and mounds of bark - the traces of illegal logging to take trees, burn them and sell the charcoal to Madagascans.

"They take rare woods such as ebony and use it to make charcoal - it's so sad," says Tovolahy.

Eric Rabenasolo, director-general for forests at the environment ministry, says that Madagascar's nine million hectares (22.25 million acres) of forests are shrinking each year by between 50,000 and 100,000 ha. 

Vohibola itself is a haven for an extraordinary species - the mouse lemur.

From its head to the tip of its tail, this nocturnal animal (genus Microcebus) measures under 27cm, making it the world's smallest primate - and, according to the International Conservation of Nature (IUCN), among the most endangered of all vertebrates.

POWERLESS

The state is trying to boost awareness of the dangers of such trafficking, urging people for instance to check the source of their cooking charcoal and encouraging villages to report illegal logging to the authorities.

The message often goes unheard in a country where three-quarters of the population live in poverty.

Poachers have a well-founded reputation for violence and their connections with locals mean that police can rarely make arrests.

"It's the villagers themselves who tip off the poachers that the police are coming," says Cecilien Ranaivo, mayor of the Ambinaninony district, which includes Andranokoditra.

"So obviously they don't succeed in making many arrests."

During Tovaly's patrol, the team comes across a poachers' hideout - an encampment the size of a small village, with about 20 makeshift huts that have clearly been abandoned in a hurry.

Tovolahy expresses his frustration. His resources are limited: the patrol comprises volunteers armed with sticks or bows and arrows and can only seek to scare off poachers, rather than tackle them head-on.

"We will never be able to fight the poacher-loggers by ourselves," he says. "What's needed is armed men, empowered by law to use force if necessary."

CORRUPTION CHANGE

Exasperated by the authorities' powerlessness, environmentalist Stephane Decampe has decided to launch his own mission to protect the lemurs.

Decampe, a French-Madagascan dual national, co-owns the Jungle Nofy Hotel, a lodge which accommodates tourists who go down the Pangalanes Canal, an interconnected series of rivers, man-made lakes and waterways that runs down Madagascar's east coast..

He patrols the canal three nights a week in his boat to track to the poachers.

"They come from the town of Tamatave (70km north of Ambinaninony), along with their wives and children," Decampe said.

"They are dropped off here by boat, and have food but no meat ... so they eat lemurs," he said.

He and his wife Angelique also recover lemurs that families use as pets.

"We set them free," she said. "But when we last went on holiday, the poachers poisoned them in an act of revenge."

The battle to save the lemurs has caused tense relationships with the authorities - local officials, say activists, are getting kickbacks from some of the traffickers.

That insinuation causes Mayor Ranaivo to sputter angrily, accusing the campaigners of having "political motivations."

A dozen environmentalists were arrested in early April.

"They accused us of illegally cutting down trees and destroying loggers' businesses," sighed Tovolahy. "And while all this was going on, the real poachers were hauling out their booty.

SINGAPORE: The National University of Singapore (NUS) said on Saturday (Apr 20) that it will convene a committee to review its current disciplinary and support frameworks, after a female undergraduate took to social media to call for tougher action against a student who filmed her having a shower at her hostel.

In a series of Instagram Stories on Friday (Apr 19), Ms Monica Baey revealed that she had caught a fellow student filming her in the hostel shower with a mobile phone in November last year.

“We are sorry for Miss Monica Baey’s distressing experience, which is of extreme concern to the University," NUS said in response to queries from reporters.

"We are in the process of reaching out to her to offer our support and assistance," it added.

"I NEED TO KNOW YOU WILL TAKE REAL ACTION"

​The 23-year-old said she filed a police report after the incident. Among the evidence submitted was CCTV footage of the suspect "trying to enter different toilets to find his victim", as well as the actual video he eventually recorded of her in the shower, she claimed. 

"The outcome of the entire investigation was a 12-month conditional warning," Ms Baey wrote, adding that this meant the suspect would only get "an actual punishment" if he re-offended in the coming year. 

Ms Baey said she tried to appeal for a heavier sentence, but was told by the investigating officer "You just have to accept the outcome" or "go to NUS and push for action". 

"I am seriously distressed. My mental health is shit because of this incident. I live in fear. 

"I need to know you will take real action and let the rest of the school know that what happened is wrong and will not be tolerated. You need to protect us! This keeps happening!" wrote Ms Baey, appearing to address the university.

Ms Baey also revealed the identity of the suspect, as well as a screenshot of a letter he purportedly wrote as required by NUS. 

"I am writing this letter to formally apologise for my vile and inappropriate action that happened in Eusoff Hall, on the final week of November and being on heavy alcoholic influence is no excuse at all," the letter stated. 

"I am extremely ashamed of what I have done and I am so sorry to have traumatised you in such a manner, nobody should ever have to go through such a traumatic experience," it continued. 

COMMITTEE TO STUDY APPROACHES OF INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

NUS said on Saturday that the NUS President will convene a committee to review the current disciplinary and support frameworks and expects to share the findings of the study and follow-up actions in the new academic year.

The committee, which will have representation from the NUS Board of Trustees, will study the approaches taken by other international institutions, and solicit views from various stakeholders, it said.

"What has been committed is serious ... When such offences are committed, the NUS Board of Discipline, which comprises student and faculty representatives, will also conduct its own disciplinary proceedings," said NUS.

NUS said that some of the factors the NUS Board of Discipline considers are: The severity of the offence, the need for justice for the victim, the rehabilitative needs of the student offender, the safety of the NUS community, and the decisions and penalties imposed by the authorities.

"We hear the concerns expressed by members of our community and the public about having a safer and more supportive campus environment, and recognise that advances in camera technology can be easily abused," it said.

Reporters had earlier also sought comment from the police. Reporters has also sought further clarification from NUS.

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has offered his "deepest condolences" to the victims and families of the deadly blasts in Sri Lanka that killed more than 150 people on Sunday (Apr 21).

Eight bomb attacks tore through various locations in Sri Lanka, including hotels and churches in and around the capital city of Colombo. The attacks have been identified as a "terrorist incident" by the Sri Lankan defence minister in a press conference on Sunday afternoon.

In a Facebook post, Mr Lee said he was "horrified" by the attacks.

"Horrified by the heinous attacks on churches and hotels across Sri Lanka today on Easter Sunday," he wrote.

"I offer our deepest condolences to the victims and their families. Singapore condemns such senseless acts of violence. 

"We stand firmly behind Sri Lanka in its efforts to preserve the hard-wrought peace and stability. 

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Sri Lanka. May they find strength and unity to overcome this adversity together."

Sri Lankan State Minister for Defence Ruwan Wijewardene said in a press conference that the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), police and military forces were investigating the blasts.

"We believe that all the culprits who have been involved in this unfortunate terrorist incident will be taken into custody as soon as possible," he added.

President Halimah Yacob also took to Facebook to offer her condolences.

“My deepest condolences to the families of the victims and those injured in the terrorist attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka while people are observing Easter Sunday,” she wrote.

“An occasion of peace and worship with families and friends have been turned into a carnage. These vile acts of violence by extremists are absolutely shocking and are aimed at creating conflicts and hatred among the communities.”

She added that we must “continue to stay vigilant and united against such acts of terrorism”.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) confirmed there are currently no reports of Singaporean casualties in the incidents.

"The Singapore Government strongly condemns the heinous acts of violence in Sri Lanka which led to significant loss of civilian lives," said a spokesman. 

"We convey our condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones and our wishes for speedy recovery of those injured."

The spokesman added that the ministry has reached out to Singaporeans e-registered in Colombo.

"The Singapore Honorary Consulate-General in Colombo is in close contact with the Sri Lankan authorities and is monitoring the situation closely.

"Singaporeans in Colombo should remain vigilant, follow the advice of the local authorities, stay in touch with their family and friends so that they know you are safe."

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) also issued a statement condemning the attack.

"We are deeply saddened to see another act of terror on places of worship and on peaceful worshippers," it said.

“Such despicable acts of violence have no place in society, and we stand in solidarity with the affected communities.”

MUIS in their statement also said that Islam "respects the sanctity of religion and human life and calls for the protection of all worshippers and places of worship".

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Sri Lanka in these difficult and trying times,"it added.

Singaporeans who require consular assistance can contact the Honorary Consulate-General in Colombo at +94 77 00 44 868 or the 24-hour MFA Duty Office at +65 6379 8800/8855.

​A 37-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday (Apr 17) night after walking into St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City with two full gasoline cans, lighter fluid and lighters, police said.

The man entered the Catholic cathedral in Midtown Manhattan just before 8pm local time and was confronted by a security guard, a New York City Police Department (NYPD) official said.

As the man turned to leave, gasoline spilled onto the floor and the guard informed police stationed outside.

Officers caught up with the man and he was taken into custody after questioning, said John Miller, deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism for the NYPD.

"An individual walking into an iconic location like St. Patrick's Cathedral carrying over four gallons of gasoline, two bottles of lighter fluid and lighters, is something we would have grave concern over," Miller told reporters outside the cathedral.

Asked if "terrorism" was a motive in the incident, Miller said it was "too early to say that". 

Miller noted the incident came two days after the much-publicized fire in Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral.

"This is an indicator of something that would be very suspicious," he said.

Three predominantly black churches in Louisiana were burned down between Mar 26 and Apr 4.

The man told police he was cutting through the cathedral to get to Madison Avenue from 5th Avenue and his mini van had run out of gasoline, Miller said.

When police checked the vehicle they found it was not out of fuel, at which point the man was arrested, he said.

"He is known to police and we are looking into his background," he added. "We don't know what his mindset was, what his motive was."

SINGAPORE: Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon on Thursday (Apr 18) dismissed an appeal by the prosecution to give a man convicted of stealing women's wallets a higher sentence.

Low Ji Qing, 54, has been in and out of jail for most of his adult life for his diagnosed fetish for stealing specific ladies' wallets to satisfy his sexual urges.

The unmarried man was last sentenced to 10 months' jail by a district judge for two counts of theft with a third charge taken into consideration.

Deputy Public Prosecutors Tan Wen Hsien and Kong Kuek Foo asked instead for two years' jail, pointing out that Low has multiple convictions for theft.

Ms Tan referred to a psychiatric report, saying although Low suffered from fetishism, it was not an impulse control disorder like kleptomania, and that he "still maintained cognitive control and awareness over the wrongfulness of his actions".

"His act of theft was likely to be arising from a maladaptive way of dealing with his stress," said Ms Tan. "(The report) concluded that there was no substantive contributory link between his fetishism and his offending behaviour."

​She pointed out that Low is "a serial thief who has been convicted in our courts on no less than 11 occasions" for theft, first in 1985 when he was 21.

Low has received psychiatric treatment and counselling for his diagnosed fetishism and depression, but the prosecution argued that treatment was not working.

"The issue then, really, is how can we help someone like him?" Said the prosecutor. "Because clearly the counselling doesn't help. He's a menace to society."

I DON'T THINK IT'S RIGHT TO THINK HE HAS NO HOPE: CHIEF JUSTICE

Chief Justice said he struggled with the prosecution's submissions.

"I don't think it is right to view this accused person as if there is simply no prospect of hope for him and that's the part of your case that I struggle with," he said. "If you say that he's beyond all help, that there's nothing that can help him overcome that, then I think we are veering back to whether we analysed the culpability issue (correctly)."

The prosecution drew an inference from a note from Prisons saying that Low wanted to stop taking medication, that he did not want to be helped.

Chief Justice Menon disagreed.

"I don't agree with you that the inference is that he doesn't want to be helped. I think he's quite self-aware because he said the medication doesn't help, (he) ended back in prison, but he was quite open to psychological therapy."

Low's defence lawyer Chooi Jing Yen said in his submissions that his client's fetishism and depression had a "direct and palpable impact" on his impulses.

He added that Low attended 30 sessions with a doctor and psychologist between September 2017 and June 2018, with a report that said Low has been able to control his impulse to steal, which is typically triggered by poor mood or stress.

Low, who lives with his partner when not in jail, has recognised that he has a condition that could cause harm to others and has taken "active steps to rehabilitate himself", the defence said.

The prosecution argued that Low has reoffended while on bail pending this appeal. He faces charges of theft he allegedly committed in December last year and January this year - the second for items including a branded wallet belonging to a Japanese woman, which fits the profile of his fetish.

Chief Justice Menon said he had to disregard the fresh charges as the appeal concerned only the previous charges.

He added that for the case he was hearing, Low had returned both wallets for both charges. In one, he felt bad and returned the wallet to the cashier before leaving the store. In the other, he surrendered the wallet with all its contents when caught by the police, and did not use the wallets to fulfil his sexual urges as he had in the past.

The prosecution persisted and said the starting point used in the district judge's decision was wrong, and should have been higher, as Low has been given fines, probation and a day's jail before for similar counts of theft in the past.

"Why?" Asked Chief Justice Menon. "This number of offences is why he's spent practically his life in prison, really for ridiculous types of thefts. He's not one of these people who carries out vicious thefts. I mean, he's got a problem, and ... I think it's wrong to ignore the fact that he's paid his price for all those offences."

Delivering his decision, he said the district judge who sentenced Low to 10 months' jail had not erred in his decision.

Chief Justice Menon dismissed the appeal by the prosecution, saying he did not find the sentence inadequate.

SINGAPORE: Two men, aged 39 and 45, were arrested on Wednesday (Apr 17) for their suspected involvement in two separate cases of outrage of modesty.

The police said in a media release on Thursday that the first case involved an 18-year-old woman who was molested by a man on board a train which was heading from Jurong to Yishun MRT station on Mar 29. The police received a report at about 8.45pm on the same day.

In the second case, the police said they received a report on Apr 5 at about 8pm regarding a 20-year-old woman who was molested by an man at a bus stop along Yishun Avenue 2.

In collaboration with Public Transport Security Command, officers from Woodlands Police Division established the identities of the men with the aid of CCTV footage and arrested them on Wednesday.

“Both men are assisting the police in investigations,” the police said.

Those found guilty of outrage of modesty face up to two years in jail. They may also be fined or caned.

The police advise members of the public to always stay alert to any suspicious persons. They are also advised to carry a shrill alarm and seek help if they are molested.

“Take note of the prominent features and attire of the suspect as well as the direction in which he or she went.

"Call ‘999’ as soon as possible to increase the chances of apprehending the suspect early. If it is safe to do so, the victim or other witnesses of the crime may assist to detain the suspect while waiting for the police to arrive,” the police added.

SYDNEY: A pet deer killed a man and left a woman critically injured at a rural property in Australia on Wednesday (Apr 17), police said.

Emergency services were called to the outback home in Victoria state early in the morning and found the badly gored couple, both aged 46.

"The man died at the scene," police said in a statement.

"The woman has been airlifted to a hospital in Melbourne with life-threatening injuries and remains in a critical condition."

National broadcaster ABC said the man was attacked when he went to feed the animal and his wife was injured when she came to his rescue.

A teenage son saved his mother by hitting the deer with a lump of wood, it said.

​The animal was then killed "due to concerns for the paramedic's safety on scene", police said.

Reporters reported the stag had been kept at the property for six years.

The Australian Deer Association said it was rare for deer to attack people.

"It is unusual, but not unheard of, for captive deer to attack humans, particularly during the Autumn mating season," the association said in a statement.

Deer were introduced into Australia in the 19th century, largely for hunting purposes.

But feral populations have since expanded across the country with increasing calls for greater controls in many areas where they are considered a pest.