SINGAPORE - An odd job labourer who molested a woman on a bus while pretending to be asleep was jailed for two weeks on Monday.
Ang Ah Meng, 28, admitted to using his right hand to brush the left outer thigh of a 24-year-old sales and marketing assistant on Service No 854 on Sept 4 last year.
A Community Court heard that Ang and the victim were standing on the bus heading towards Yishun bus interchange that morning.
After a few stops, she managed to find a seat and sat on the inner seat, next to the window. Ang immediately sat next to her.
Due to his large build, the victim squeezed closer to the window, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Vincent Ong.
Ang pretended to fall asleep and let his right hand fall from his lap into the space between his right thigh and the victim's left thigh. His hand brushed her left outer thigh.
She thought it was accidental and did not do anything. His hand remained in that position.
Shortly, he pretended to stir, and moved his hand back. He pretended to fall asleep again and repeated his action. The victim did not say anything, thinking it was yet another accident.
He pretended to stir again, but left his right hand resting against her outer thigh.
She felt uncomfortable and crossed her left leg over her right, creating a gap.
Ang pretended to wake up, and saw that she had moved her thigh away from his hand. He then moved his right hand further towards her left thigh, rotating his hand so that the wrist faced upwards and brushed her thigh.
This time, she shoved and reprimanded him in Mandarin, telling him to sit properly. Ang apologised and moved away from the victim.
When the bus arrived at the interchange, she informed the bus driver and reported the matter to the passenger service counter. The police were called.
Ang had been jailed three weeks in 2012 for molesting a 15-year-old student while seated behind her on a bus. He was given probation in 2006 for outrage of modesty.
He could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, caned or received any combined punishment.
