Former actor Ian Fang is set to begin his 40-month prison sentence today (June 16).

The 35-year-old Singapore Permanent Resident arrived at the State Courts with his mother Fang Peinian, 63, at about 11.40am as he surrendered himself to begin his prison sentence.

Ian bowed before the media and told local reporters including AsiaOne that he is sorry and will try his best to be a better person. 

"It's time to take responsibility for what I did. It's time for me to begin my punishment. I hope everyone can give me a second chance," he said. When asked how he felt about the victim's parents wanting to sue him, he replied: "I feel some of the reports are not true. I will face what needs to be faced, but I want to clarify things that are not true."

Ian also said: "I am sorry to everyone who are hurt because of this. Actually, from the sentencing till now, I have never spoken out or revealed my stance, but I feel that since I am wrong, I should face it and I must adjust my mental state and condition now and face the punishment. "During this time, my mum has been accompanying me and I feel very apologetic to her. And I hope to be able to have a second chance when I come out and continue to be a filial child. My mum also had to face a lot of things that she saw online, including some reports."His mother claimed some of the media reports were inaccurate, such as Ian giving the victim a sexually transmitted disease, saying they have "proof" though she did not elaborate more.

Ian said: "I think I would definitely try my best to be a better person and be a better version of myself. At the same time, this is something I need to pay for. It's a very expensive and very huge mistake that I need to pay off, but I believe it will definitely make me an even better person, and I really hope that everyone could give me a chance to let me show you guys that I can be the person that you guys want me to be. I am sorry." Both apologised and bowed once again before walking into the courts.

At the court room, Ian hugged his mum, as well as a male and a female companion. He and his mum exchanged a few words and the latter patted his back before he walked away with the guards.

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Gag order lifted

On May 19, Ian pleaded guilty to three charges of sexual penetration of a girl under 16. Three similar charges were taken into consideration for sentencing, along with one count of obstructing justice and one count of stalking.

The gag order was lifted that day by District Judge Eddy Tham for his name to be revealed to the public after an application by the victim and her family.

The court heard on the same day that Ian first met the victim at an entertainment event in May 2024 when she was 15 years old. Between June and July, they engaged in sexual activities on nine occasions — among which five were unprotected — at his residence, a luxury hotel and a private hospital in Singapore. The teenager was later diagnosed with human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection.

Ian, who left Mediacorp after 12 years in April 2023, was an acting teacher for a modelling school for children at the time of his offence.

The victim's mother made a police report in August when she learnt that her daughter and Ian had sexual relations.

During the police investigation, Ian was told by the investigating officer that he couldn't contact the victim, which he ignored and continued to do so, instructing the girl to cry in front of her mother and tried convincing her not to press charges against him in the same month.

In September, he also stalked the teenager by calling her 18 times, sending her WhatsApp messages and logging into her virtual room on an app on Sept 26 and 27.

While Ian's lawyer said that he is "remorseful" of his actions and apologised to the victim, her family, his family, friends and those who looked up to him, District Judge Tham sentenced Ian to 40 months' imprisonment, saying that the latter had intent to "gaslight" the victim to "save his own neck".

'Sue him until he goes bankrupt'

The girl's parents revealed their side of the story to 8World and CNA in reports published on May 26, 27 and June 3 under the condition of anonymity.

Both parents expressed dissatisfaction with his sentence, especially because it did not include caning.

The girl's mother told 8World that Ian had used his celebrity status to "manipulate" her daughter into bed.

She also accused him of ruining her daughter's life and infecting her with a sexually transmitted disease, adding that she is "going to sue him until he goes bankrupt".

The teenager's father also told CNA they are intending to sue Ian and their lawyer confirmed he had been instructed to commence legal proceedings against Ian.

The father also shared that before he and his wife found out about his actions, they had regarded Ian as a friend and treated him to dinners. Ian and their daughter had behaved normally around them.

"We didn't know at all. He played his acting role so well. Speechless, speechless. Really give him an Oscar for that," he said.

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yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com