Straits Times, Singapore, 9 December 2001
Ex-pastor gets cane for molestation
By Wong Fei Wan
IF KOH Seng Kee had wanted to help the 21-year-old woman he approached along Orchard Road, he would have said he was a pastor.
He did not.
That 'strange' omission, plus other inconsistencies in his testimony during his trial for molestation, led to his conviction yesterday.
In front of about 30 crying relatives and well-wishers, District Judge Audrey Lim sentenced him to nine months' jail and three strokes of the cane.
Koh, 48, then a pastor with The Tabernacle Church and Missions in Tanjong Katong Road, had approached the woman in front of Faber House between midnight and 1 am on Feb 17. She was waiting for her husband.
Introducing himself as Victor, he asked her if she was facing problems and she replied, 'No'. She also declined his offer of a drink.
She told the court that Koh then gave her his mobile-phone number and told her she could call him if she had any problems.
After that, Koh caressed the woman's shoulder, kissed her left cheek and grabbed her right breast, she said.
But Koh testified that he went up to the woman because he sensed that she had problems and he wanted to help her.
He said he only shook her hand and put his hand on her shoulder to 'assure her that everything was okay'.
But the judge did not believe his tale and pointed out other inconsistencies.
When the woman, who Koh claimed wanted to trap him, called to meet up, he said he was busy. But he agreed to meet the woman after she phoned him again and lied to him that she was single.
The judge also pointed out that Koh had told the police that he had given the woman his number so that she could call him for a drink.
But in court, he said that he had given out his mobile-phone number so that she could call him if she had any problems.
In mitigation, defence lawyer Leong Kwok Yan said that Koh was not a serial molester and had not used force on the woman.
Mr Leong said Koh realised he had 'brought shame to his family and dishonour to God' when he succumbed to temptation.
The judge described the whole incident as 'unfortunate and regrettable', but asked church members to support their former pastor and give him another chance.
'He is, after all, human.'
"Christian halfway houses are filled with convict converts, I am referring to Christians who are born Christian, like myself "
who told you theres no christians convicts ? you think all your cult members are all saint ? i used to work in prison and i know theres different religious ppl committing different kind of crimes ( your religion included ) ....