Former director at statutory board given jail for molesting female subordinate in office
Photo illustration of a man attempting to commit an outrage of modesty against a woman. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
SINGAPORE: A former director at a statutory board was given six weeks' jail on Monday (Jan 18) for outraging the modesty of a 55-year-old female subordinate at the workplace in 2016.
The 67-year-old man, who cannot be named due to gag orders protecting the identity of the victim, was convicted of one charge of hugging the woman so tightly that her chest pressed against his body.
He had done so at their office in June 2016, after telling her that he had extended his employment contract. He then took the opportunity to hug her in a manner that outraged her modesty, said District Judge John Ng.
The offender, who is defended by lawyers from Drew & Napier, intends to appeal against his conviction and sentence. He had been acquitted after a trial of five other charges of molesting another woman, a 43-year-old colleague, as his guilt could not be established beyond reasonable doubt.
There were no independent witnesses and the woman had given inconsistent police statements and was unable to provide adequate explanations for them.
The degree of sexual exploitation for the convicted charge is "on the low side", said the judge, adding that the hug occurred within a few seconds, with no skin-to-skin contact.
However, the circumstances of the offence require a jail term to show that such offences committed by a male supervisor on a female subordinate in an office environment cannot be condoned, he said.
However, the judge said that while a jail term was warranted, it would not be as substantial as the nine months asked for by the prosecution.
The prosecutors had slammed the man's misconduct as an egregious abuse of trust causing significant psychological harm to the victim, who was the offender's immediate subordinate.
She had testified that she was extremely fearful of the offender, especially when he began to treat her harshly after the incident. She chose not to disclose the matter initially as she felt that her job would be in jeopardy, and was afraid that no one would believe her.
"The present offence involves a senior public servant abusing his authority in the course of his duty in a key public institution. There is clear public interest surrounding this case, and the present offence attracts public disquiet given the high standards public servants are held to," said the prosecution.
The offender faces three other charges related to overseas trips with the older woman, and parties will return for a pre-trial conference to deal with these charges.
For outraging a person's modesty, the man could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, or both. He cannot be caned as he is over 50.
