She calls herself Lucille and says she is a 33-year-old model from Britain who is here on holiday.
He calls himself Dave and says he is a Singaporean photographer friend helping to expand her work portfolio.
They were at Tanjong Beach on Sentosa yesterday morning, taking nude shots.
Both claimed they did not know they were flouting the law.
“We were here early to catch the light. We picked a more isolated part of the beach,” Dave, 30, said.
“Unfortunately, the skies were slightly overcast, and the light was not right. As we waited, more and more people came to the beach,” he told The New Paper.
Time was not on their side so the two decided to carry on with the shoot with Lucille totally naked, save for a fishing net draped over her body.
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UNBOTHERED
There were about a dozen beach users at the part of the beach where the duo were, but they did not appear to be bothered by the nude photo shoot. Most were there sunning or walking their dogs.
Only a couple of men stopped to stare for a while before moving off. The popular Tanjong Beach Club was also not opened yet.
Lawyer Chia Boon Teck said that under the law, “any person, who appears nude or clad in such a manner as to offend against public decency in a public place, is guilty of an offence which carries a fine not exceeding $2,000 and/or a jail term not exceeding three months”.
He said the photographer may also be accused of violating section 11 of the Undesirable Publications Act, under which anyone who makes or produces any obscene publication, including photographs, “knowing or having reasonable cause to believe the publication to be obscene”, can be fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed up to two years.
Two Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) rangers who were patrolling the island turned up to stop the session at 11.50am.
They also asked for personal details from Dave.
“They warned that I should not be taking nude photos, especially with Sentosa as the backdrop. I explained that the photos were closely cropped,” he said, adding that one of the officers said legal action could be brought against him should Sentosa appear with the nude shots in any publication.
When contacted, a spokesman for SDC confirmed in an e-mail reply that Sentosa rangers, who were on regular patrol at Tanjong Beach at 11.50am, noticed a photography session “involving a male Singaporean photographer and a nude female foreign guest” yesterday.
“(They) immediately issued a verbal warning and instructed the both of them to cease the photography session, which was complied with,” he said, adding that Sentosa is committed to providing all guests with a safe and enjoyable environment, with beach patrol officers and Sentosa rangers on regular patrol.
juditht@sph.com.sg
The Star/ANN, AFP, Reuters, Sina Weibo
This article was first published on March 16, 2016.
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