- Joined
- Aug 20, 2022
- Messages
- 21,760
- Points
- 113
Former Singapore Idol judge Ken Lim found guilty of molesting 25-year-old woman at Hype Records office
The judge found that the music producer was "an unreliable witness willing to make bald claims to defend his own interest".
Ken Lim Chih Chiang at the State Courts on Sep 26, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
Lydia Lam
26 Sep 2025 09:33AM (Updated: 26 Sep 2025 10:08AM)
SINGAPORE: Former Singapore Idol judge Ken Lim Chih Chiang was convicted on Friday (Sep 26) of molesting a 25-year-old woman during an interview at Hype Records in 2021.
Lim, 61, had contested the charge in what was the second of five trials slated for him. He was earlier acquitted of making sexual comments to an aspiring songwriter in 2012.
Principal District Judge Lee Lit Cheng found the woman in the molestation accusation to be a truthful witness, while Lim was "untruthful".
She said Lim's "emphatic denials" in court about what he stated in his police statement demonstrate that "he is an unreliable witness willing to make bald claims to defend his own interest".
She rejected the defence's argument that it would have required "a lot of contortion" for Lim's hand to reach in and touch the victim's breast in the position she described.
The judge saw no doubt as to how Lim was able to do so, given that the pair was kissing in close proximity at Lim's request.
The judge said the repeated narration of the incident by the victim to her boyfriend and her friends does not add weight to the contents of the allegations, but neither do the lack of details or inconsistencies in her boyfriend's and friends' testimonies cast any doubt on the veracity of the victim's evidence.
This is because victims of sexual assault do not necessarily disclose details of the offence when confiding in others, and that the testimonies of the witnesses were affected by their own recollection of what the victim had said to them.
"I find (the victim) to be a truthful witness who did not attempt to embellish her testimony," said Judge Lee.
Conversely, she found Lim to be an "untruthful witness".
She gave an example of how he claimed that a statement he gave to the police was inaccurate, but that he had signed it because the recording officer had promised him that there would be a subsequent meeting to address the accuracy and contents of the entire statement.
The officer also purportedly told Lim that a further statement would be recorded from him in two weeks' time.
The judge found that Lim had fabricated these allegations because two officers present during the recording had refuted his statement, and because Lim had made numerous handwritten amendments to his statement, showing that he was able to and did amend it.
Lastly, Lim's legal counsel sent numerous letters to the investigating officers and there was no mention of the alleged promise to record a further statement, nor any request for one to be recorded, said Judge Lee.
"It is evident that the accused had blatantly fabricated the allegations," she said.
She said parts of Lim's police statement that contradicted his court testimony but aligned with the victim's testimony include: Lim touching the victim's lower back, sending her a message saying he would tie her up, calling the victim "babe" and dimming the lights during the third interview when the molestation occurred.
While these words and actions do not in themselves prove the charge, the judge said Lim's emphatic denials in court demonstrated that he was an "unreliable witness willing to make bald claims to defend his own interest".
She rejected the defence's argument that the victim had been angry at the third meeting when an immediate offer was not made to her, and that she believed being embroiled in a scandal was another way of gaining fame.
The judge said there was no evidence to support this.
Lim attended the hearing with his loved ones.
When he heard the verdict, he shook his head in the dock.
Sentencing was adjourned for a later date.
For outrage of modesty, he could be jailed for up to two years or fined. He cannot be caned as he is above the age of 50.
Source: CNA/ll(zl)
