SINGAPORE, April 23 — TikToker Kurt Tay was sentenced to 14 months’ jail on Wednesday for distributing intimate material without consent and fined S$3,000 (RM9,321.88) for making threats against a woman he had been involved with.
The 43-year-old, whose real name is Tay Foo Wei, had pleaded guilty to sharing the explicit content and using threatening communication, with other charges taken into consideration, The Straits Times reported.
Tay first contacted the victim in June 2023 after finding her online profile advertising sexual services, and later met her several times.
In October, he posted messages in a Telegram group chat suggesting violence, including asking how much it would cost to hire a hitman and saying he wanted her to die.
The victim’s friends saw the messages, identified her as the target, and alerted her, prompting her to file a police report.
About a week later, Tay escalated matters by sharing an intimate video and photo of the victim in the same group chat, which had over 240 members.
He repeatedly reposted the content, saying it was “an eye for an eye”, and sent the video 30 times and the photo 13 times.
Several group members informed the victim, who described feeling alarmed, distressed and humiliated, and even considered seeking psychiatric help.
Police arrested Tay about three days later and later found the material on his phone and in the Telegram chats.
The prosecution said his actions were driven by malice and revenge, pointing to the repeated sharing and intent to maximise humiliation.
They also argued the victim suffered serious harm due to the explicit nature of the content and how easily it could be forwarded and redistributed.
Tay, who brands himself online as “Superstar Celebrity Kurt Tay”, has previously attracted Singapore media attention for his controversial public behaviour, including staged stunts and appearances in entertainment events.