Singapore debt collector wears Chinese funeral outfit to harass victim, gets 5 weeks’ jail

A Singapore debt collector, who showed up at a debtor’s workplace in a Chinese funeral outfit in a desperate bid to harass him to return his client’s money, was on Wednesday sentenced to five weeks’ jail. Peh Chong Wee, 59, pleaded guilty to four charges of harassment and using criminal force on a police officer, with another charge of harassment taken into consideration for sentencing. Peh’s loud shouting and whistle-blowing as he walked along a corridor caught the attention of the debtor’s employees. A video of his antics taken by his fellow debt collector, which showed him yelling in Hokkien outside the premises, was eventually posted online. Peh also carried a banner printed with the debtor’s face along with demands that he return his client’s money, the court heard. At the time of his offences mid-last year, he was the sole proprietor of Guarantee Debts Collection Service. Another debt collector, Koh Yew Ghee, worked with Peh to collect a debt on behalf of an engineering and construction firm. Koh’s case is still pending before the court. LAY ON GROUND, REFUSED TO LEAVE The pair first unsuccessfully tried to collect the debt on May 27 last year. When the company’s human resources manager heard them shouting along the corridor outside the office premises, she opened the door, allowing them to enter. They asked for the company director but was told he was not in. In response, Peh forcefully banged his hand on the table at the front desk. The two men were then asked to leave, but they lay down on the ground instead. He tried to be creative in his exercise. As a debt collector, his reputation is really staked on whether he can get debtors to repay. Wee Hong Shern, Peh’s lawyer The human resources manager called the police, who advised them to settle the matter amicably. The pair left the office without getting arrested. After this, Peh dressed in the funeral outfit on three separate days – May 28, 29 and 31 – and went back with Koh, who filmed him. Peh was arrested on May 31 and detained at the Woodlands Division headquarters. When two auxiliary police officers were moving him to another cell, he stood at the doorway of his new cell and asked for a paper cup he had left in his previous one. The officers told him they could give him a new cup, but he insisted on having the other one. Man accused of filming women in toilet had ‘master plan’ to flee Singapore He then suddenly rushed out of the cell and struggled as one of the officers held onto his handcuffs, before he pushed the officer against the wall. The officers managed to pin him to the ground after some time. This was all captured on security camera footage. RE-OFFENDED A MONTH LATER Peh was then released on bail, but did not keep his nose clean. On June 21 last year, he approached another man and offered him S$200 (US$150) to take a video. After the other man agreed, they went to the same company premises to collect the debt. The human resources manager took a video of them, as her director had told her to do if Peh came back. He paraded around the corridor for about 30 seconds, carrying banners with the director’s face and loan repayment demands printed on them. He had also stuck pieces of paper on the front and back of his shirt with the other man’s face and repayment demands. Singaporean escapes from captors in Thailand after paying bitcoin ransom Peh did this despite a court order issued against him just a week earlier, banning him from being around the director’s home or any other place he frequented. Court documents showed that sometime last year, Peh also walked past the other man’s condominium blowing a whistle while carrying banners, incense paper and a lantern used for funerals. In mitigation, Peh’s lawyer Wee Hong Shern urged the court to consider the circumstances of Peh’s actions. He would usually call his debtors and arrange for repayment, but the company had blocked his number and turned him away previously when he turned up at their office to negotiate, Wee said. “He’s never encountered such difficult clients in his life. He tried to be creative in his exercise. As a debt collector, his reputation is really staked on whether he can get debtors to repay … he’s thoroughly remorseful for going so far,” the lawyer added. Wee told the court that Peh has written a letter of apology and promised “never to commit these mistakes again”.