Covid-19: S$3,000 fine for ex-magazine editor who invited 4 guests, attended 13-person party at actor Terence Cao’s home

• A gathering, which actor Terence Cao organised at his condo, was meant to involve only five guests 
• One of Cao’s guests, Lance Lim Chee Keong, invited four more people to the party
• This was even though Lim knew the number would exceed the prevailing limit of five guests
• The gathering was made public after Mediacorp artiste Jeffrey Xu posted a group photo on Instagram

SINGAPORE — A former magazine editor was fined S$3,000 on Tuesday (May 18) over a gathering with 12 other people at the home of Mediacorp actor Terence Cao last October, in violation of Covid-19 safe distancing rules.

Lance Lim Chee Keong, 50, invited four people to the party despite knowing the number would exceed the prevailing limit of five guests. 

He pleaded guilty to breaching Covid-19 laws on Tuesday. 

If he does not pay the fine, Lim — who is unemployed — will have to spend eight days in jail.

Cao’s case will be heard again on May 25.

WHAT HAPPENED

The birthday party that eventually brought 13 people, including nine artistes, to Cao’s home was meant to just involve six people, including Cao himself, the court heard. 

Cao organised the gathering sometime before 7pm on Oct 2 last year to celebrate his 53rd birthday, as well as those of actors Jeffrey Xu, 32, and Shane Pow, 30. 

Pow was dismissed by Mediacorp last month following a drink-driving charge.

Cao had planned for the party to involve Lim, Pow, Mr Xu, as well as artistes Heng Tee Kok, 45, and Jeremy Chan, 29.

The evening started with Cao, Lim and Pow having dinner at Cao’s condominium apartment, located on Daisy Road near Braddell Road.

As the evening progressed, more people arrived as Lim invited four other people — 987FM DJ Sonia Chew, 30; actress Julie Tan, 29; and marketing managers Debbie Lu, 33, and Eleanor Wang, 34 – bringing the number to above the prevailing limit of no more than five guests. 

Lim had asked Ms Wang to get a birthday cake for the gathering. 

Lim also knew that actress Dawn Yeoh, 34, would arrive later in the evening since Ms Wang invited her as well.

Pow invited part-time model and actress Valnice Yek, 22, and she arrived at about 8pm. Neither Pow nor Ms Yek knew that more guests would arrive, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Norman Yew said.

Soon after, Mr Tan Jun Chuan, 30, a sales manager, also not knowing that more guests would arrive later, turned up to surprise Cao. 

Ms Wang and Ms Yeoh arrived between 9pm and 10pm, bringing the number of guests at Cao’s home to six, in breach of the regulations.

Ms Tan, Mr Heng and Ms Lu arrived between 10pm and 11pm, and Ms Chew, Mr Xu and Mr Chan arrived between 11pm and 12am, bringing the total number of guests at the home to 12.

Then at 11.24pm, all 13 participants in the gathering held a cake-cutting ceremony and took group photos of everyone present. 

Mr Xu later posted one of these photos on his Instagram Stories page, drawing attention to the gathering.

Six of them left the house between 12am and 1am, and one of them left between 1am and 2am. 

The remaining five guests left the house by 4am.

In asking for a S$3,000 fine for Lim on Tuesday, DPP Yew pointed out that the gathering had lasted for a significant period of time, with 13 people gathered for four hours, between 9pm and 1am. 

Lim’s part was in inviting four people, despite knowing that that would cause participants to exceed the prescribed limit, he said.

He added that the participants were in close contact with each other according to the photos taken, and they were all not wearing masks.

Lim’s lawyer, Mr Cory Wong of Invictus Law Corporation, asked for a S$2,500 fine, pointing out that there should be “parity”, given that a man who breached Covid-19 rules by gathering at least 12 people for his barbecue gathering at East Coast Park was fined that amount.

In sentencing Lim, District Judge A Sangeetha said that “tremendous efforts and sacrifices” were made by many people to contain the spread of Covid-19 here, and it is “crucial” that individuals comply with the rules so that the country can overcome the pandemic.

Stating that there was no necessity or urgency for Lim to organise such a gathering, she told Lim: “Please refrain from such activities until we cross the pandemic together.”

Lim could have been fined up to S$10,000 or jailed up to six months, or punished with both for contravening the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020.