SINGAPORE, July 3 — A suspended traffic police officer has been jailed for 16 months after using government systems to help a friend identify a police informant, leading to threats against the woman.

According to CNA, the officer, 29-year-old Shivasuria Maniam Kesaval, accessed Ministry of Home Affairs databases without authorisation after his friend, 25-year-old Brayden Ong Ying Shan, was arrested for driving without a licence. Ong suspected his ex-girlfriend had tipped off the police and asked Shivasuria to confirm it.

Shivasuria’s searches revealed that the woman had filed the report. Ong later confronted her, saying he would murder whoever had reported him.

At trial, both men represented themselves and denied the offences. Shivasuria claimed his superior had authorised the searches so he could assist in the investigation against Ong. 

Ong argued that he did not intend to threaten his ex-girlfriend, as he did not know who had made the report, and added that she could not have been frightened since she remained in a relationship with him afterwards.

District Judge Lim Tse Haw convicted both men of the charges, saying they were not credible witnesses and that they “could not even get their stories straight”, CNA reported.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jeremy Bin sought at least 19 months’ imprisonment for Shivasuria, stating that both men had shown “not one iota of remorse”, lying repeatedly in court and “alleging misconduct by virtually every public servant”.

Ong, who was convicted of criminal intimidation among other offences, absconded after sentencing and a warrant of arrest was issued against him in June. A hearing to review the warrant has been scheduled for July 14.

Shivasuria was found guilty of four counts under the Computer Misuse Act for unauthorised screenings and one count under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).