We all have our little quirks, and some have rather unconventional preferences when it comes to matters in the bedroom too.
However, this becomes unacceptable when it involves others without their consent.
32-year-old Tan Boon Hwee, a man with a foot fetish, molested 2 women by caressing their feet under the guise of helping out at ‘Barefoot Walking Society’, a non-existent organisation.
After pleading guilty to two molestation charges on Wednesday (6 Apr), he was sentenced to two weeks and five days in jail.
The Straits Times (ST) reported that he got to know his first victim, a 28-year-old woman, through Tinder.
They subsequently met up at MacRitchie Reservoir on 16 Jul 2017.
Tan requested to take photos of her feet and lied that it was for a non-profit organisation, ‘Barefoot Walking Society’.
ST shared that there was no such organisation. However, a Society for Barefoot Living that promotes the benefits of going barefoot does exist.
Nonetheless, Tan convinced the woman by showing her photos he took of other women and their feet.
As he touched her feet, she allegedly felt “uncomfortable and disgusted” and eventually told him to stop.
Tan proceeded to ask her intimate questions. She rejected his advances before returning home.
Despite this, Tan was relentless and continued messaging her, even threatening her when she asked for the photos he took.
When local media covered Tan’s other convictions for molestation in 2019, the victim realised she was also one of his victims and alerted the police.
Tan was issued a fine of $8,000 on 7 Jan 2019. But just two months later, he was accused of molesting an 18-year-old.
According to AsiaOne, Tan approached the teenager in Mar 2019. This time, he claimed to be from the People’s Association and that he was conducting a campaign where they would write quotes on the soles of feet and take photos of them to form a collage.
He then asked if she wanted to “inspire” people by participating, and she agreed.
As he snapped the photos, he also touched her feet. Feeling uncomfortable, she decided to Google his name and filed a police report after discovering his earlier conviction.
On Wednesday (6 Apr), he was sentenced to two weeks and five days’ jail after pleading guilty to two charges of molestation.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Chong Kee En said,
Although the accused’s outrages of modesty are less intrusive because it involves feet and not private parts, it is anything but harmless.
At the end of the day, his actions violated the women’s autonomy over their bodies as they did not consent to be sexually intruded on.
Furthermore, he exploited their kindness and generosity, deceiving them by pretending to be part of a non-profit organisation. This would undermine the value of legitimate charitable activities.
For each count of molestation, he could have been jailed for up to two years and fined or caned.
Even though some may view this incident as less egregious a crime than other cases of sexual violence, we should not understate the psychological impact it can have on victims.
Nobody has the right to sexually intrude on others’ bodies without their knowing consent.
As this case comes to a close, we hope the victims will get the support they need to heal from this traumatising incident.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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