editorial comment This is one country where paraphernalia would not want to be raising children.....

Former Internet entrepreneur Dinesh Bhatia started his eight-month jail term yesterday after a High Court judge slashed four months off his original jail term.
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Bhatia, the son of former Nominated MP Kanwaljit Soin and former High Court Judge Amarjeet Singh, was arrested in a drug swoop last October.
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He was sentenced to a year in prison for taking cocaine.
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Another charge of taking Ecstasy had also been taken into consideration.
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Bhatia, 35, who appealed against his 12-month sentence last month, had asked for a heavy fine to be imposed instead.
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Calling the previous sentence "excessive", Justice V K Rajah said yesterday that the district judge erred by not tailoring the sentence to fit the offender and failed to "attach adequate weight and merit to all the relevant mitigating factors".
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For example, the judge did not adequately consider the fact that Bhatia's consumption was neither planned nor purchased, said Justice Rajah.
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The prosecution itself had accepted that the consumption was a one-off incident. The amount taken was also not substantial, he added.
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Furthermore, he believed that Bhatia, unlike some of the others nabbed in the bust, is not an addict and took the drugs on the spur of the moment.
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However, Bhatia could not be let off with only a fine, said Justice Rajah, who noted from the cases related to the high-profile bust that cocaine users are "financially privileged".
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"A mere financial rap on the knuckles would therefore be wholly inadequate and ineffectual in deterring similar violations by similarly placed individuals.
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"The elite in Singapore cannot legitimately expect to, and in any event, will not, be accorded preferential treatment by the courts," he said.
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Others caught in the drug bust include former Singapore Tatler magazine editor Nigel Simmonds, who was jailed for two years and chef Francois Mermilliod, who was imprisoned for a year. Penelope Pang, daughter of beauty pageant organiser Errol Pang, was jailed for 11 months.
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In a calm farewell, Bhatia, who was emotionless when the judgment was read, hugged his lawyers and supporters, including his mother and Swedish fiancee. The latter broke down after he was led away. Original one-year sentence deemed 'excessive'

Ansley Ng
ansley@newstoday.com.sg

FORMER Internet entrepreneur Dinesh Bhatia started his eight-month jail term yesterday after a High Court judge slashed four months off his original jail term.
.
Bhatia, the son of former Nominated MP Kanwaljit Soin and former High Court Judge Amarjeet Singh, was arrested in a drug swoop last October.
.
He was sentenced to a year in prison for taking cocaine.
.
Another charge of taking Ecstasy had also been taken into consideration.
.
Bhatia, 35, who appealed against his 12-month sentence last month, had asked for a heavy fine to be imposed instead.
.
Calling the previous sentence "excessive", Justice V K Rajah said yesterday that the district judge erred by not tailoring the sentence to fit the offender and failed to "attach adequate weight and merit to all the relevant mitigating factors".
.
For example, the judge did not adequately consider the fact that Bhatia's consumption was neither planned nor purchased, said Justice Rajah.
.
The prosecution itself had accepted that the consumption was a one-off incident. The amount taken was also not substantial, he added.
.
Furthermore, he believed that Bhatia, unlike some of the others nabbed in the bust, is not an addict and took the drugs on the spur of the moment.
.
However, Bhatia could not be let off with only a fine, said Justice Rajah, who noted from the cases related to the high-profile bust that cocaine users are "financially privileged".
.
"A mere financial rap on the knuckles would therefore be wholly inadequate and ineffectual in deterring similar violations by similarly placed individuals.
.
"The elite in Singapore cannot legitimately expect to, and in any event, will not, be accorded preferential treatment by the courts," he said.
.
Others caught in the drug bust include former Singapore Tatler magazine editor Nigel Simmonds, who was jailed for two years and chef Francois Mermilliod, who was imprisoned for a year. Penelope Pang, daughter of beauty pageant organiser Errol Pang, was jailed for 11 months.
.
In a calm farewell, Bhatia, who was emotionless when the judgment was read, hugged his lawyers and supporters, including his mother and Swedish fiancee. The latter broke down after he was led away. Original one-year sentence deemed 'excessive'

Ansley Ng
ansley@newstoday.com.sg

FORMER Internet entrepreneur Dinesh Bhatia started his eight-month jail term yesterday after a High Court judge slashed four months off his original jail term.
.
Bhatia, the son of former Nominated MP Kanwaljit Soin and former High Court Judge Amarjeet Singh, was arrested in a drug swoop last October.
.
He was sentenced to a year in prison for taking cocaine.
.
Another charge of taking Ecstasy had also been taken into consideration.
.
Bhatia, 35, who appealed against his 12-month sentence last month, had asked for a heavy fine to be imposed instead.
.
Calling the previous sentence "excessive", Justice V K Rajah said yesterday that the district judge erred by not tailoring the sentence to fit the offender and failed to "attach adequate weight and merit to all the relevant mitigating factors".

For example, the judge did not adequately consider the fact that Bhatia's consumption was neither planned nor purchased, said Justice Rajah.

The prosecution itself had accepted that the consumption was a one-off incident. The amount taken was also not substantial, he added.

Furthermore, he believed that Bhatia, unlike some of the others nabbed in the bust, is not an addict and took the drugs on the spur of the moment.

However, Bhatia could not be let off with only a fine, said Justice Rajah, who noted from the cases related to the high-profile bust that cocaine users are "financially privileged".

"A mere financial rap on the knuckles would therefore be wholly inadequate and ineffectual in deterring similar violations by similarly placed individuals.

"The elite in Singapore cannot legitimately expect to, and in any event, will not, be accorded preferential treatment by the courts," he said.

Others caught in the drug bust include former Singapore Tatler magazine editor Nigel Simmonds, who was jailed for two years and chef Francois Mermilliod, who was imprisoned for a year. Penelope Pang, daughter of beauty pageant organiser Erroll Pang, was jailed for 11 months.

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