A married former football player met a woman on online dating platform Tinder and the pair went clubbing with one of her friends in 2018.

Mohammad Imran Sahib Mohamed Ibrahim Sahib, 38, later took the two women home in his car.

After his date alighted at her destination, Imran, who had played for the Tampines Rovers and Home United football teams, among others, told the victim, then aged 21, to sit in the front passenger seat.

The father of three then molested her as they were travelling along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6. But she managed to escape, fleeing bare-footed when he stopped the car to relieve himself by the side of a road, a district court heard during the trial.

Imran denied molesting the woman but District Judge Kan Shuk Weng yesterday found him guilty of two counts of molestation. She also convicted him of one count of using criminal force on the woman.

Imran was offered bail at $5,000 and will be sentenced on Nov 13.

The two women cannot be named owing to a gag order by the court.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Chee Ee Ling said the crime took place on March 4, 2018, after the trio left a club called Baliza in Raffles Boulevard around 6am. As they neared Imran's car, his date threw up and as her friend expressed concern for her, Imran grabbed the victim and kissed her on the lips. Despite being molested, she got into the car as she did not want to leave her unwell friend alone with Imran.

DPP Chee further told the court that after getting out of Imran's car along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6, the "terrified" victim "walked barefooted to (her friend's block of flats), for about 11/2 km". "In the victim's haste, she left her high-heeled shoes in the accused's car".

The victim reached the void deck at 7.17am and waited till around 8am before taking a taxi home. She told her sister what had happened but did not make a police report until March 20, 2018, as she was initially worried Imran would hurt her.

The DPP said that since the incident, the victim has "had nightmares of people raping her and there was once she dreamt that she committed suicide".

"It is clear the victim is still traumatised by her ordeal, as she appeared visibly upset and broke down four times while testifying in court," she added.

Imran, represented by lawyer Revi Shanker, claimed the victim had consumed amphetamine and was acting "strangely", shouting at strangers as the night wore on.