On Tuesday (11 Apr), a judge acquitted the chief of operations at an advertising firm who was facing an accusation of molesting a copywriter at a company event.
District Judge Christopher Goh explained in his judgment that the prosecution was unable to prove its case.
In addition, closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage was apparently in the accused’s favour.
Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reports that the alleged incident occurred during a company dinner and dance event at a restaurant along Havelock Road on 29 Jan 2020.
Source: The Heartlander Tourist, for illustration purposes only
The chief of operations was at a table near the back of the restaurant.
At around 10pm, the emcee revealed that he had won two tickets to Japan in a lucky draw.
To receive it, the accused started approaching the stage from his table and passed by the copywriter, a 25-year-old woman.
She congratulated him as he drew closer. He then placed his right hand on her shoulder and apologised.
Assuming he wanted more space, she tried to move towards her friend, whom she had been standing behind.
The woman then alleged that she felt the accused’s hand move to her lower right hip before patting her buttock area a few times.
This left her in shock and feeling violated. She then told a senior female colleague what happened, and the latter said she would inform the copywriter’s boss.
The copywriter later sent a message to her boss detailing the incident before leaving the restaurant.
When confronted, the chief of operations aggressively denied the incident.
According to CNA, the chief of operations and the copywriter were in different teams and rarely interacted with each other.
Witnesses at the table adjacent to the copywriter’s testified on the stand.
One woman claimed that the chief tapped and “brushed through” the copywriter’s butt or hip area as he was passing by.
With sufficient space behind the copywriter, the witness said that the physical contact was unnecessary.
Another witness stated that the chief’s hand went from the copywriter’s waist to the top of her right buttock before patting it three times.
A third witness added that the chief was unable to pass by the copywriter due to the lack of space and held her elbow and shoulder to get her to move aside.
When she did so, he patted her back area thrice and walked past.
The chief also testified in his own defence, explaining that at the time, his mind was on receiving his prize.
Since the copywriter was in his way, he shifted her to one side without thinking. He could not recall when they came into contact.
After being informed about the accusation, he apologised to her with two other individuals present.
Acknowledging the apology, she said, “Don’t ever do it again,” which infuriated him as he claimed it was unintentional.
The copywriter then filed a police report.
Revealing his findings, Judge Goh said the allegation was regarding the man touching and patting the woman’s right side while being aware that it would outrage her modesty.
While CCTV footage confirmed he touched her right hip, whether he patted it remained the point of contention.
Furthermore, Judge Goh doubted the quality of the prosecution witnesses’ evidence.
Two implied that there was more than enough space for the chief. They also said they saw the chief pat her hip, but the security footage revealed otherwise.
There was a waiter blocking the path, causing space to be inadequate. When the women saw the video, they were unable to explain why they failed to see him earlier.
A third witness had mentioned the waiter but was uncertain as to when the alleged patting occurred when reviewing the CCTV footage.
“I am unconvinced that the prosecution had proved that the accused had patted (or tapped) any part of the victim’s right hips,” Judge Goh said. “I am only able to conclude that the accused’s right hand did touch the victim’s right hip as he walked past her.”
He noted that the man’s movements in the footage were consistent with someone intending to squeeze through a tight space.
His apology at the time gave more credence to the accused’s testimony, he added.
“At the end of the day, the onus is always on the prosecution to prove these allegations beyond a reasonable doubt,” the judge emphasised.
“The allegation against the accused was serious and it was fortunate that there was CCTV footage available to assist the court in coming to its conclusion.”
The prosecution will be appealing against the acquittal.
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Featured image by MS News.
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