SINGAPORE - The doctor accused of molesting and raping his former patient said wounds on her genitals and a fresh tear in the hymen may have been caused by him inserting two of his fingers for a medical examination.
This emerged on Tuesday (May 8) on the sixth day in the trial of Wee Teong Boo, 67, when his lawyer Edmond Pereira cross-examined the prosecution's witness - Dr Janice Tung, an associate consultant at KK Women's and Children's Hospital.
Wee is accused of molesting and raping the woman, then a 23-year-old student, on Dec 31, 2015. She cannot be named due to a gag order.
During her testimony, Dr Tung said she found two superficial wounds on the alleged victim's genitals and a fresh tear in the hymen during a medical examination which she performed on the woman after the alleged rape.
Dr Tung said she was told by the woman that she had no prior sexual encounters. The alleged victim also said she saw Wee's penis and indicated that he had penetrated her. Dr Tung said the woman's account of what happened was consistent with her injuries.
Mr Pereira asked Dr Tung whether penetration by fingers can cause similar injuries and she said it was possible.
The defence counsel said he was instructed by his client that Wee had inserted two of his fingers inside the woman as he observed redness on her genitals and suspected a pelvic inflammation. Wee then diagnosed her with pelvic inflammatory disease and prescribed her medication.
The woman had seen Wee on the night of the alleged rape because of frequent urination and genital itch. During her examination, Dr Tung found that the woman suffered from a bacterial and yeast infection.
Mr Pereira asked whether by scratching and rubbing her itch, the woman could have caused the injuries Dr Tung found.
Dr Tung said the superficial wounds might have been incurred by such actions. But a hymenal tear, while possible, is "unlikely" to be caused by scratching and rubbing as "the hymen is quite buried inside the folds".
Mr Pereira also asked why the woman only suffered a shallow tear and wounds that Dr Tung estimates to be around one to two millimetres deep, if she had experienced multiple forceful thrusts as she claimed.
He noted that the number of thrusts the woman experienced was not recorded by Dr Tung and accused her of "embellishing evidence" to fit the prosecution's case.
Dr Tung said that the injuries the woman suffered is consistent with her account, regardless whether she experienced a single or multiple thrusts during the alleged rape.
Objecting to defence counsel's line of questioning, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz said Mr Pereira's insinuations about Dr Tung were "baseless".
When asked what she felt about Mr Pereira's accusations, Dr Tung only replied: "I'm affronted."
The trial continues as the case's investigation officer takes the stand on Wednesday (May 9).
