ChannelNewsAsia: Singapore News.

Australian TV journalist arrested in S'pore on drug charges.

Posted: 18 July 2008 1102 hrs



Photos 1 of 1: ABC correspondent Peter Lloyd (Photo credit: ABC.com)

SINGAPORE: A television reporter for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has been arrested in Singapore and is expected to face drug charges on Friday, his employer said.

"ABC South Asia correspondent Peter Lloyd has been arrested in Singapore and is likely to be charged with a number of drug-related offences later today," a report on the ABC website said.

A court official who earlier told AFP the court hearing was under way later said the laying of charges was delayed until the afternoon.

The ABC website said Lloyd is expected to be charged in a court hearing at a hospital where he is being held under guard.

It quoted the Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith as saying he expected Australian officials to attend the hearing.

Officials are satisfied that Lloyd is receiving proper medical treatment for an eye infection, Smith was quoted as saying.

"If convicted, Lloyd faces imprisonment of between five and 20 years in jail and between five and 15 strokes of the cane," the ABC said.

A statement from counter-narcotics officers in Singapore said investigation showed a 41-year-old Australian to be the "supplier" to a Singaporean drug abuser arrested on Wednesday.

"The Australian national was arrested and in the course of follow-up search, the officers recovered a packet of 'ice' weighing approximately 0.8 grams, one improvised smoking pipe and six syringes," the Central Narcotics Bureau said.

It did not name the Australian but said he is under investigation for trafficking in a controlled drug.

'Ice' is a street name for methamphetamine.

Lloyd is on leave in Singapore from his posting in New Delhi, the director of ABC News, John Cameron, said on the network's website.

It said the ABC has not been told the full details of the case, but the organisation is in close contact with consular officials and is also taking steps to ensure Lloyd is given appropriate legal representation.

- AFP/yb

U can't trust reporters who take 'ice'... the brain cells are fried..

He stole my job. I hope they shoot him. Then I will be happy again!

BTW: Did you just say something about not trusting reporters who take ice? How about politicians who take ice? Would you trust them?

No, as all of them politicians have their brains cells fried whether or not they take ice..

That's pretty much how I figure journos must operate when I have to read all their spelling errors and mispronunciations and whatever other stuff they get paid to spew forth on us.

A few are good journos and I can think of some names, but the majority are paparazzi and this world would be a much nicer friendlier place if we could just load them up in Changi for a few years and teach them some good English and other important skills that they have either always lacked or chosen to not let get in the way of a good pay-packet at the end of an embarrassment of a story.

One down, and God knows how many left to get off-air but that's a good start is all I can say.