Ler Teck Siang allegedly advertised drug injection services on Grindr with profile name ‘Help is here’

SINGAPORE — The Singaporean doctor at the heart of the HIV Registry leak had apparently built up a reputation as a medical practitioner who could professionally and discreetly administer methamphetamine injections for S$40 a shot.

Ler Teck Siang allegedly even offered his services — known among drug abusers as “slamming” or “pointing” — on demand on popular gay dating app Grindr with the profile name “Help is here”.

He was also said to have given 50 per cent discounts to customers who asked for a second shot within 24 hours.

The court heard these details on Wednesday (July 10) as 44-year-old Sim Eng Chee — the drug abuser Ler was arrested with on March 2, 2018 — took the stand in Ler’s trial for two drug-related charges.

Ler, who is the former head of the Health Ministry’s National Public Health Unit, is accused of administering methamphetamine to Sim in a room in Swissotel The Stamford Hotel on Feb 26, 2018, as well as possessing utensils intended for drug use at Conrad Centennial hotel on March 2, 2018. He is contesting the charges.

Sim, who is still serving a Home Detention Order after going to jail for drug possession and consumption, told the court that he had been a regular “slamming” customer of Ler’s since the second half of 2017.

Then a self-employed tutor and consultant earning between S$7,000 and S$10,000 a month, Sim got introduced to Ler through a “sex buddy” who had engaged his services before.

Sim said he contacted Ler through Grindr and they proceeded to chat on Line, a messaging app, where Ler introduced himself as “Todd”.

LER GAVE FREE MEDICAL ADVICE

After getting acquainted, Sim only had to say “hi hi” for Ler to understand that he wanted a slamming session. So Ler would then reply asking where he would like his services to be rendered, and how many others were looking to get an injection.

According to Sim, his rates were standard: S$40 for a slam, and the cost for a one-way transport via Grab.

Sim would, however, pay him more since he was happy with Ler’s services.

“The comfort level for me with him is there. That’s why I prefer to pay more. I would stuff money into the bag he was carrying,” he said.

Sim said that Ler never overcharged and even gave him free medical advice.

Once, Sim said he wanted to get a “double slam” — two injections at one go — for an “even better high”, but Ler advised against it, noting that there would be some difficulty since his veins were hard to locate.

On another occasion, in December 2017, Sim went to a clinic in Tampines where Ler was a locum and sought his help for a wound on his elbow that would not heal properly and could have been aggravated by his use of meth. During subsequent “slamming” visits in January 2018, Ler would check on his wound as a gesture of “goodwill”, change the dressing and comment on how his wound was progressing, he said.

'TRUST WAS BUILT'

Sim also said that Ler had some form of “service recovery” for the one occasion he had failed to inject him despite four to five pokes. After that session, Ler told Sim that he would charge half his usual price the next time Sim were to engage his services.

Ler also sent him a lengthy message analysing what could have gone wrong.

“He gave me a solid explanation of why he wasn’t able to perform up to expectation. He also accounted for the viscosity of the solution (he was injecting). I was impressed by the knowledge he displayed,” Sim said. “In this instance, trust was built on my end.”

They also built a rapport to the point where Sim asked him to “let’s play soon”. Sim admitted to the court that was the first time he had indicated interest in having sex with Ler, but clarified that their relationship never developed beyond that of a client and service provider.

A CCTV footage taken at Swissotel during one of Ler’s visits at 6.20pm on Feb 26, 2018 was played in court on Wednesday. Ler was seen entering the hotel in a tie and shirt, received by two men — Sim and one of his sex buddies — and leaving 30 minutes later in the same attire.

Sim told the court that he had told Ler to administer him 0.3g of meth that day. The high was “immediate”, he said. Ler left after his job was done, he said.

SIM TOLD LER TO ‘STAY AWAY’ JUST BEFORE ARREST

The day they were caught, Sim had extended his Conrad Centennial room for another night’s stay when hotel staff chanced upon the drug-related contents he had kept in his room’s safe.

Sim had just returned to Conrad from Geylang, where he bought a fresh stash of drugs costing more than S$2,000, when he noticed that he could not open the door to his hotel room, and Ler happened to be engaged by him that day.

While making his way to the reception to check on his room key, Sim sensed that something was amiss in the lift. He warned Ler that “something is not right” and to “stay away”.

True enough, two policemen approached Sim at the reception.

Ler was also subsequently arrested.

Telling the court his state of mind that day, Sim said: “I was feeling doomed because I just bought a large amount of drugs and carrying drugs with me, and the rest was very real to me. I knew I was going to face consequences for my actions.”

Ler will cross examine Sim on Thursday.