SINGAPORE, Nov 17 — A 42-year-old woman sentenced to one week in prison here for lying about her address to secure a spot for her daughter in a popular primary school has hired a lawyer to fight her sentence.
The Singaporean woman, who previously told the court she could not afford legal counsel, has engaged Deepak Natverlal from Crown Juris Law for her appeal, Channel News Asia reported.
Court records show she lodged an appeal against the sentence on November 13, the same day the jail term was handed down.
The sentence had come as a shock to the woman, as the prosecution had only sought a fine of S$13,000 (RM41,000).
Upon hearing the verdict, she reacted visibly in the dock, gesturing to her partner in the public gallery and repeatedly pleading with the judge that she “could not go to jail.”
The case has sparked widespread discussion in Singapore, where competition for primary school placement is intense.
The woman pleaded guilty in September to giving false information to public servants and lying about her change of address.
Despite the prosecution noting that such cases are rare and usually result in fines, District Judge Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz imposed a custodial sentence due to the aggravated nature of the offence.
The judge cited the woman’s repeated lies, “selfish motives,” and her willingness to involve her tenants in the deception as key reasons for the jail term.