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SINGAPORE: A man is on trial for sexually assaulting his sister’s friend, who stayed behind after going to a bar on Christmas Day nearly four years ago.
Norvan Tan En Jie, 24, claimed trial on Tuesday (September 29) on two counts of penetrative sexual assault and two counts of indignation for modesty.
The alleged incident occurred on December 26, 2016 at the Tans family’s apartment. Tan was 21 at the time and the victim, whose identity is protected by a gag order, was 19 years old.
The case of the prosecution is that the victim went to the apartment with Tan’s sister in the early hours of that day to stay.
The victim was very intoxicated at the time and Tan’s sister had to help her go to the kitchen to vomit and change her clothes.
At the same time, Tan had also returned home after drinking with two friends. While his sister was talking to his friend, Tan went to the bathroom and led the victim into the living room where he kissed her.
He later took her to his sister’s bed and sexually assaulted her, prosecutors claimed. When the victim felt nauseous again, she ran to the bathroom to vomit, where she felt someone sexually assaulting her.
The victim was later traumatized, telling friends about her confusion and distress, as well as sharing her suspicions that it was Tan who sexually assaulted her.
He also sent messages to Tan’s sister about what happened, and Tan’s sister told her that her brother admitted that he “touched” the victim.
Subsequently, the victim filed a police report and Tan was arrested two days after the alleged crime. His semen was found on the back of the victim’s shirt, and the victim’s DNA was found on Tan’s underwear, the court heard.
The prosecution will call 27 witnesses, including a doctor who had seen Tan in May 2017 for his alleged erectile dysfunction. The doctor found no evidence of the condition, Assistant Prosecutors Ng Yiwen, Asoka Markandu and Sheryl Yeo said.
Another doctor will testify that the victim’s ability to consent to any sexual advances at that time “would have been adversely affected due to his drunken state.”
If convicted of penetrative sexual assault, Tan could be jailed for up to 20 years and fined or punished.
He faces up to two years in prison, a fine, flogging, or any combination of these penalties if convicted of outrage of modesty.
