SCDF officer who molested female subordinate gets 15 months’ jail

SINGAPORE – A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officer molested his female subordinate in 2021, once even doing so while she was attending to a patient.

The man was sentenced to a year and three months’ jail on Aug 6 after District Judge Eddy Tham convicted him of three molestation charges following a trial.

Details about the woman and the locations of the offences cannot be disclosed due to a gag order to protect her identity. Hence, The Straits Times is not disclosing details about the man, as doing so could cause her identity to be exposed.

In a statement in 2023, SCDF said the man has been suspended on half-pay since January that year. Its spokesperson added that the agency had also provided counselling to the victim.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Santhra Aiyyasamy stated in her submissions that the man was the victim’s supervisor, and that they were close colleagues who shared information about their personal lives. The pair had also exchanged text messages on work and personal matters, the court heard.

DPP Santhra said: “The accused started using words like ‘hugs’...‘kisses’ to the victim in their text conversations.”

The prosecutor told the court that the pair were in their office on Aug 17, 2021, when the man passed the victim some iced coffee. She added: “(He) asked where his hug (was), went forward and extended a full hug to the victim with his hands placed around her shoulder.

“Although the victim had checked and shared with the other female colleagues her experiences with the accused being touchy, she continued to remain as close colleagues with the accused for fear that any confrontation with or questioning the accused might cause her to lose the accused’s support as her superior and reporting officer.”

Court documents stated that the pair were at their workplace on Aug 23, 2021, when the man again asked the victim for a hug, and she responded by raising her left hand to reach across his shoulder. The man then groped her chest, leaving the victim shocked.

The court heard that the woman did not react, and the man then asked for another hug before repeating the same act.

DPP Santhra said: “(The victim) was very sure that the accused had intentionally... taken advantage of her. However, she was still very conflicted as he had been doing good things for her.

“She did not question him on his acts as she was afraid he would deny it and might just turn it against her as he was her boss. She decided to act ‘professional’ and left the (premises).”

The victim later checked with some of her other colleagues, and four of them told her that they had experienced “accidental touching”.

On Aug 31, 2021, the victim told the commander of her workplace about the offender’s acts. According to court documents, the commander said he would look into the complaints and to consider if the matter should be reported before or after an “audit”. He also told her not to be alone with the man until a report was officially lodged.

The prosecutor said the offender struck again on Sept 3, 2021, when they went to a female patient’s home to attend to the woman. The victim was checking the woman’s vital signs when he molested her again.

The DPP told Judge Tham: “The victim felt ashamed... as she was being taken advantage of (again).”

The victim later told a male colleague who was with them about what had happened, and she tried to hold back her tears. Back at her workplace, she told the commander that another person would be covering her duties for the rest of the day. The next day, she sent the commander a text message, saying she was “not able to pull through” before the “audit”, and he told her to take a few days off.

An investigation into the case started soon after, and the police were alerted in October 2021. The offender was arrested in February 2023.

On Aug 6, the court heard that he will be appealing against his conviction and sentence. His bail has been set at $20,000.