Student who posted fake PMO announcement on Mr Lee Kuan Yew's death gets stern warning
He had circulated a screenshot last month, purportedly of a webpage from the Prime Minister's Office that appeared to announce Mr Lee Kuan Yew had died.
For that, the student received a stern warning.
The police said this afternoon (April 7) that they have completed investigations into the case.
Here's the full statement:
"Police have completed investigations into the case reported on March 18 - where a fake screenshot photograph of a statement purportedly from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) website was circulated.
"The culprit is a male Singaporean student below 16 years of age.
"In consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), the Police have issued him with a stern warning in lieu of prosecution.”
The AGC said in a separate statement that no hacking or unauthorised access of the PMO website had taken place.
The student never intended for the image to be circulated widely.
The AGC statement added:
"He created the image because he was frustrated with the frequent rumours about the demise of Mr Lee.
"He wanted to demonstrate to his friends how easy it was for a hoax to be perpetuated."
After sharing the image with his friends, it was circulated despite him informing them that it was a hoax.
The AGC said that "after carefully considering all relevant factors including the student's personal circumstances and readiness to accept responsibility", a stern warning was given to him while his parents were present.
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