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SINGAPORE: A senior civil servant on a statutory board was acquitted of five counts of sexual abuse against a colleague and convicted of the sixth count of outraging the modesty of a second woman.
The 67-year-old man and his employer cannot be named due to gag orders protecting the identities of the two women.
He was convicted on Wednesday (December 9) of hugging a 55-year-old colleague at his workplace in June 2016. He did this with such force that his chest pressed against his body, according to court documents.
However, the man was acquitted of sexually abusing a 43-year-old colleague five times at his workplace.
Apparently, he hugged the younger woman tightly, squeezed her buttocks, and pressed her groin against his shoulder.
Both women were subordinates of the accused. He was the immediate supervisor of the younger woman.
In delivering his verdict, District Judge John Ng said he was satisfied that both women were sincere when they said there was unwanted physical contact with the defendant, but said he could not find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt on the charges against the younger. woman.
As there were no independent witnesses to the alleged incidents, the court had to be satisfied that both women were telling the truth about each incident and that the acts of sexual abuse occurred in the manner they related.
“The outcome of the case depends on the assessment of the credibility (of the women) and of the accused, and the veracity of their evidence,” said the judge, adding that the veracity refers to the accuracy of their memories and the consistency. of your tests. .
It is “unsafe” to convict the man on the five charges involving the younger woman, the judge said, pointing to various reasons, including inconsistent police statements made by the woman and her inability to provide adequate explanations for these inconsistencies.
“Having said that it is fair to state that there were also material inconsistencies in the defendant’s statement to the police,” Judge Ng said, adding that the deficiencies in his evidence could not outweigh the doubt in the younger woman’s evidence.
“In my opinion (she) had not fabricated the unpleasant interactions with the accused. She felt sexually harassed,” she said. “She did not welcome his hugs, so she was worried, but decided to ignore them and forget.”
The judge found it plausible that although the younger woman could not clearly recall the incidents, she was willing to insist that they happened the way she recounted them rather than admit that they might not have happened.
The man, who was defended by attorneys at Drew & Napier, will return to court for mitigation and sentencing in January.
For outraging a person’s modesty, he can be imprisoned for up to two years, fined, or both. He cannot be spanked because he is over 50 years old.
He faces three other charges that have been dropped or dismissed, related to foreign travel involving the older woman.
