2 Chinese men charged over helping trio enter Singapore’s Taylor Swift concert without tickets
- Yang Chenguang allegedly talked to guards at the venue to distract them, while Li Xiao Wei held onto a turnstile at the entrance to allow the trio to go through
- If convicted, they could be jailed for up to three years or fined, or punished with both
The two men, 29-year-old Yang Chenguang and 45-year-old Li Xiao Wei, were each charged with abetting three persons to cheat the event organiser, Kallang Alive Sport Management. Both are from China.
Court documents stated that the two men allegedly abetted three individuals, Shangguan Linmo, Hu Zhijun, and Yang Junhao, to gain unauthorised entry to a Taylor Swift concert on Monday at around 6pm.
Yang allegedly talked to security staff members stationed at the entrance of the sports hub to distract them.
Li was said to have held onto a turnstile at the entrance to allow the trio to go through, even though they did not have tickets.
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In a separate media release, the police said that they had arrested three men aged between 29 and 45 for their suspected involvement in a case of cheating.
Two other men and two women between the ages of 21 and 25 were also being investigated for criminal trespass.
At around 7.40pm on Monday, the police received a report that several people had entered the concert at Singapore Sports Hub without permission.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the three men were allegedly involved in facilitating the unauthorised entry for the group of four individuals who were not in possession of legitimate concert tickets,” the police said.
TODAY understands that the third man who has yet to be charged is under investigation and that the trio named in the charge sheets for entering the concert are among the four people referred to by the police in their news release as not having legitimate tickets.
Apart from the two men charged on Wednesday, police investigations against the other persons are ongoing.
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In a joint statement on Wednesday, Kallang Alive Sport Management and the Singapore Police Force said that the security presence at the Singapore Sports Hub on event days was stepped up from March 2, in anticipation of large crowds for Swift’s concerts.
On March 4, Singapore Sports Hub’s security personnel detained several people who tried to trespass into the National Stadium.
“Kallang Alive Sport Management and the police will continue to work closely to ensure the safety and security of the public at events at the Singapore Sports Hub.
“The police would like to remind the public to only purchase tickets and merchandise from authorised sellers and to only enter the venue with a valid ticket,” the statement added.
The event organiser thanked patrons who came forward with their observations that helped the security team and authorities close in on the alleged trespassers.
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Yang Chenguang and Li Xiao Wei will return to court on March 13. Both men were remanded further to assist with investigations.
Anyone convicted of cheating can be jailed for up to three years or fined, or punished with both.
The penalty for criminal trespass is a jail term of up to three months or a fine of up to S$1,500 (US$1,121), or both.
