'Serial entrepreneur' on trial for sexually assaulting sister's friend

A 24-year-old entrepreneur went on trial yesterday for molesting and sexually assaulting his younger sister's primary school friend, who was staying over at their family flat after a night of drinking to celebrate Christmas.

Norvan Tan En Jie was 21 years old when he allegedly committed the offences against the woman, then 19, in the early hours of Dec 26, 2016.

He is contesting two charges of sexual assault by penetration and two charges of outrage of modesty, for acts against the woman who was intoxicated then.

Tan was described by lifestyle site Vulcan Post as a "serial entrepreneur" who had run five different businesses by the age of 21. In 2018, he co-founded food business Beef Bro, which has three outlets.

The court heard that the woman was a primary school classmate of Tan's sister, and the two had met friends for drinks on Christmas Day evening in 2016. When the two women arrived at Tan's flat at about 5.40am, he was in his room with two friends after a night of drinking.

After helping the alleged victim to the toilet, Tan's sister asked him to leave his room so she could speak to one of his friends. According to the prosecutors, Tan carried the woman out of the toilet and placed her on the living room sofa but she went back to the toilet to vomit.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Yiwen said Tan then carried the woman to his sister's room, put her on the bed, touched her breast and inserted his finger into her. The woman ran back to the toilet to throw up again, and felt someone pull down her shorts and underwear. She recognised Tan's voice and struggled, but he sodomised her and then left, said the DPP. Tan's sister went to the toilet later and took the woman back to her room.

The woman told her friends about the incident after that and her suspicions that Tan had sexually assaulted her. She texted Tan's sister, who said he admitted having "fingered" the alleged victim. She made a police report on Dec 27, 2016.