SINGAPORE: A 49-year old Singaporean man was fined S$5,000 after he and his daughter, 17, tried to deceive a concert organiser by claiming they were from the Selangor Royal family to avoid queuing up for the concert.
His daughter and her friend had purchased their own tickets for the two-day Enhypen World Tour concert on January 21 and 22.
The man's daughter had allegedly pretended to be a Selangor princess while her father took on the role of her bodyguard.
Their ruse unravelled when the event organisers realised they were not in fact the princess and her security guard, and lodged a police report after the first day's performance.
According to a report on Channel News Asia, the man, who could not be named to protect the identity of his daughter, was charged for conspiring with his daughter to cheat by personation and wilful trespassing and were fined S$5,000 by the court today.
He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring with his daughter to cheat by personation, with a second charge of wilful trespass being considered in sentencing.
"On Jan 20, the offender called event organiser Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) after finding their number online. He told the organiser a princess from the Selangor Royal Family would be attending the concert on Jan 20 and Jan 21, and had purchased tickets.
"Explaining that he was the princess' bodyguard, the man told the event organiser that he did not have tickets to the concert. He asked for access to ensure the safety of the princess. In response, the organiser asked the offender to turn up earlier on Jan 20 to facilitate his entry," CNA reported.
According to court documents, the man said he did this so that his daughter would not have to queue to enter the concert, and so that he could watch over her while she was there.
"On Jan 20, the offender, his daughter, and her friend went to the concert venue together. The man was dressed in a suit like a bodyguard. When they arrived, the man told the event organiser that he was the bodyguard for the princess.
"He was given a lanyard and two wristbands for special early entry for the two concert dates. The two teenage girls were not given special tickets or passes, as their tickets were valid. During the concert, the man stood at the entrance area of the stadium where he could see his daughter in her seat. After the concert ended, they left together."
The report said the event manager grew suspicious of the pair and ran some background checks to verify the matter when he discovered that the daughter was not a Selangor princess.
The next day when they came back for the second day of the concert, the organiser called the police on them.
The public prosecutor sought a S$5,000 fine for the man, saying he had benefited from being given access to the venue without a ticket.
However, the judge noted that he did not have "a nefarious reason" for his actions and no loss was suffered.
The man was unrepresented but asked the court for a smaller fine as he regretted his actions and did it out of concern for the safety of his daughter.
CNA in its report said it has tried to reach out to the concert organiser for comments but efforts were futile at the time of the writing.