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SINGAPORE: A married man sexually assaulted his long-time female friend after a night of drinks at his place, despite her protests and struggling.
Tan Boon Seng, a 40-year-old Singaporean, was sentenced on Monday (Mar 16) to eight years' jail and 10 strokes of the cane.
He pleaded guilty to two charges of sexual assault and aggravated outrage of modesty, with three other charges including attempted rape taken into consideration.
Tan had been friends with the victim since around 2010 or 2011. They were acquainted through mutual friends and used to be neighbours.
In June 2024, the victim was 30 when she asked Tan if he wanted to meet.
They met at Punggol MRT station on Jun 29, 2024. They bought four bottles of soju and went to Tan's flat in Punggol, which was being renovated while he stayed elsewhere.
When the pair got to the flat, they went into one of the bedrooms and sat down on a blanket that was on the floor. They had dinner and four bottles of soju.
Sometime past midnight, the pair left the flat to buy six more bottles of soju from a nearby shop. They went back and drank the soju, during which the victim asked if she could stay over since she did not want to take a private-hire car home.
Tan agreed. At about 3am on Jun 30, 2024, the victim felt sleepy and lay down on a blanket. Tan lay next to her and tried to hug her, but the woman pushed his arm away at least twice and told him to move further away.
Tan did as he was told. However, the victim had difficulty falling asleep due to Tan's loud snoring.
After about 20 minutes, the victim woke Tan up and they continued drinking soju.
At about 5am, the victim prepared to leave the flat to catch the first public bus. She carried two bags on her shoulders.
THE ASSAULT
However, as she was leaving the bedroom, Tan turned her around and caused her bags to fall.
He kissed her while the woman resisted. She struggled and tried to run away, but Tan stopped her and they both fell onto the blanket.
Tan was on top of the victim and pinned her down with force before molesting her. The victim continued to struggle as Tan manoeuvred himself to sexually assault her.
The woman repeatedly exclaimed "no", "stop it" and "get off me" while Tan continued his assault. She was unable to push him off because of his strength.
Tan then trapped the woman's legs with his arms and sexually assaulted her. The woman tried to get away, but felt her energy being depleted due to sleep deprivation and her struggle against Tan.
After this, the victim grabbed her clothes and went into a toilet where she washed herself. Tan booked a private-hire vehicle for her and waited with her until it arrived.
The victim lodged a police report several days later saying she had been sexually assaulted.
She found herself unable to be alone and could not function in her daily activities. She had occasional panic attacks and insomnia and was paranoid even when she was alone, looking around and fearing that Tan would be near her.
She also felt that, no matter how much she tried to shower, she would not be clean, the court heard.
She was examined at hospital and found to have injuries which included bruises on her knee, arm and shoulder.
Tan was arrested and charged in court.
The prosecution sought eight to eight-and-a-half years' jail for Tan, along with 14 strokes of the cane.
They said Tan had used force in the offences, causing the victim to sustain injuries across her body. It was also traumatic for her, such that she had breakdowns and crying episodes. The incident continues to plague her mind despite counselling, said the prosecutors.
Tan had also taken advantage of his friendship with the victim and the trust they shared, in violating her after she had stayed at his house and even after she had unequivocally rejected his sexual advances, said the prosecutors.
The victim had said in her victim impact statement that she suffered from feelings of self-blame, as she thought she had been too trusting towards her friend. She also felt disappointed and despair that Tan had committed such acts against her and breached her trust, considering their long-standing friendship.
For aggravated outrage of modesty, Tan could have been jailed for between two and 10 years and caned. For sexual assault, he could have been jailed for up to 20 years and fined or caned.
