SINGAPORE - A former senior public servant in an education-related government body was sentenced on Monday (Jan 18) to six weeks' jail for molesting a subordinate in 2016.

On Dec 9 last year, District Judge John Ng found him guilty of one molestation charge involving the woman, who was 55 years old at the time.

The 67-year-old Singaporean had earlier claimed trial to six counts of molestation involving the victim and another woman.

Details about the offender, the government body and the position he held cannot be revealed due to a gag order to protect the women's identities.

The judge had earlier acquitted the offender of the five molestation charges linked to the second woman, who was then 43 years old.

Judge Ng found that there were "material inconsistencies" between the younger woman's police statement and her evidence in court.

He, however, found that the older woman's evidence was "cogent and reliable".

The offender, who has since retired, still has three other pending molestation charges involving the older woman. They will be dealt with at a later date.

He had molested her in mid-2016 by hugging her tightly.

However, she did not dare confront him as she did not want to jeopardise her job, deputy public prosecutors Goh Yi Ling and Emily Koh said in their earlier submissions.

"The workplace ought to be a safe environment free from sexual harassment. Paradoxically, when the perpetrator is one's own immediate supervisor, the horrors of sexual harassment are exacerbated by inherent power dynamics which shield the perpetrator, and stifle victims into silence," said the DPPs.

The woman became "emotionally traumatised", to the extent that "the mere mention of his name" or an e-mail from him would cause her to "freak out".

At the end of 2016, she developed a "host of serious health problems", including a persistent cough which affected her lungs, heart palpitations and a chronic migraine.

She even became suicidal at one point, the court heard.

The offence came to light when in March 2018, the older woman suddenly asked the younger woman if she had a problem with him "touching her".

The younger woman then claimed that the man had also touched her in a similar way.

The pair had a meeting with their other seniors on March 28, 2018, and the police were alerted.

The man's bail was set at $15,000 on Monday and the pre-trial conference for his remaining charges will be held on Feb 8.

For molestation, an offender can be jailed for up to two years and fined or caned. The man cannot be caned as he is over 50 years old.