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SINGAPORE: Former Singapore Idol judge Ken Lim Chih Chiang was sentenced to 13 months' jail on Tuesday (Nov 18) for molesting a 25-year-old woman at his office in 2021.
The 61-year-old had contested the charge in what was the second of five slated trials, but was convicted.
Principal District Judge Lee Lit Cheng found the woman in the molestation accusation to be a truthful witness, while Lim was "untruthful".
The victim had met Lim for three interviews in 2021, with the molestation taking place on the third occasion at his Hype Records office.
The victim testified at trial that Lim had tested her by asking her to kiss him and she complied but made a disgusted face after.
Lim then said she should not make such a face and asked her to kiss him again, passionately, said the victim.
When the victim kissed Lim, Lim groped her before removing his hand.
The victim was shocked and pulled away. She claimed Lim asked what else she would like to do with him, but she refused and said it was against her morals.
JUDGE'S REMARKS
The judge noted the skin-on-skin contact in this case, and the circumstances of the offence.
She said Lim first exploited his position as the victim's interviewer to create the circumstances enabling him to commit the offence.
He "cultivated an image of authority and expertise by mentioning names of local celebrities and telling the complainant how he had trained them", said Judge Lee.
"He positioned himself as the complainant's mentor by offering career advice and requesting complete openness from her to better develop her character and telling her he wanted a very close (mentor-mentee) relationship with her."
It was in this context that Lim asked the victim to role-play by kissing him, and she consented as she believed it to be part of the interview process, said the judge.
Lim then took the opportunity to grope the victim while she was kissing him.
Judge Lee said Lim exploited the victim's vulnerability as an interviewee who would want to maintain good relations with him, given his position as a decision-maker for prospects for his company. The victim was understandably reluctant to report his conduct.
The judge also pointed to the "inherent power imbalance", which increased Lim's chances of evading accountability for his actions.
Judge Lee said Lim was not eligible for any reduction of sentence for a guilty plea as he had claimed trial, and he "also did not display any remorse in the conduct of his defence".
She imposed one month's jail in lieu of three strokes of the cane, as Lim is above 50 and cannot be caned.
Lim's lead lawyer, Senior Counsel Tan Chee Meng from WongPartnership, said his client would appeal against the conviction and the sentence.
Lim had accusations levelled against him by five women. Other than this case, which is for molestation, the rest are for insulting the modesty of women.
In his first trial, he was acquitted of making sexual comments to an aspiring songwriter in 2012.
After the conviction, lead prosecutor James Chew asked for the remaining five charges to be withdrawn under Section 147(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
According to this section, when two or more charges are made against a person and the person is convicted of one or more of them, the prosecution may withdraw the remaining charges.
The judge granted the withdrawal of the remaining charges. This means the three slated remaining trials will not proceed.
Lim is out on bail pending appeal.
For outrage of modesty, Lim could have been jailed for up to two years or fined. He cannot be caned as he is above the age of 50.
