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Former surgeon jailed for molesting woman on operating table; judicial mercy given
The 76-year-old former surgeon suffers from end-stage prostate cancer and has been given six to 12 months to live.
A view of the State Courts building in Singapore. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor)
Lydia Lam
27 Jan 2026 01:44PM (Updated: 27 Jan 2026 02:23PM)
SINGAPORE: A former surgeon who molested a woman on the operating table, after performing a colonoscopy and a procedure for piles, was sentenced to one week's jail on Tuesday (Jan 27).
The former Singaporean doctor cannot be named because of a gag order protecting the victim, then aged 20. He was 72 at the time.
The court order extends to the name of the private hospital where the incident occurred and naming him would mean that the hospital is identifiable.
The prosecution had sought four to six weeks' jail while agreeing with the defence that judicial mercy ought to be exercised in this case.
This was because the offender, who appeared pale and drawn in the dock, has fourth-stage prostate cancer and was given six to 12 months left to live.
Checks by CNA show that he is no longer listed as a doctor on the Singapore Medical Council's website.
THE CASE
The man had contested one charge of outraging the modesty of a 20-year-old woman on Dec 24, 2021 at a private hospital.He had touched her chest while she lay on an operating table while recovering from a colonoscopy and treatment for piles, the prosecution stated.
This was under the guise of performing a clinical breast examination, and it was witnessed by two nurses who were shocked and immediately escalated the matter to their supervisors.
At the trial, the man said he either had the implied consent of the victim for a clinical breast examination, or had some form of express consent from the victim's actions.
District Judge Shawn Ho had convicted him, saying that the sedated patient was drowsy and not able to give consent.
There was also "no medical basis for him to examine her breasts after a colonoscopy in the operating room when the clinical diagnosis was bleeding piles", the judge added.
The two nurses who had witnessed the act testified for the prosecution, stating that the offender had used both hands to molest the victim below her gown.
A medical expert had stated that a proper clinical breast examination would involve adequate exposure of both breasts, inspection, palpation and checking for discharge.
This would normally take 15 to 30 seconds and would be inadequate and improper if done beneath a hospital gown, the expert said.
One of the nurses, who had worked at the hospital for decades and had assisted the offender about 10 times a year for operations, said that she had not seen him conduct a breast examination before.
Judge Ho found that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted him.
The defence produced a medical report stating that the offender suffers from incurable fourth-stage prostate cancer.
His oncologist estimated that he had six to 12 months left to live as of January 2026.
Because of this, both the prosecution and defence said that this was a case where judicial mercy ought to be exercised.
This is where the court may order a substantial reduction in the sentence, leading to no imprisonment, a nominal period of imprisonment, or the statutory minimum.
Judicial mercy is justified only in "exceptional circumstances" such as terminal illness. The last well-known case of judicial mercy was that of Formula One tycoon Ong Beng Seng.
Both the prosecution and defence referred to Mr Ong's case in their sentencing arguments, although both differed in the length of jail terms sought.
Mr Navin Naidu and Ms Kuan Jin Yin from Dentons Rodyk & Davidson sought a fine of S$6,000 to S$7000, or one day's jail and a fine of S$10,000 as an alternative.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Ng Yiwen, Jane Lim and Tay Jia En asked for four to six weeks' jail instead.
Ms Lim said that the prosecution would have sought a sentence of 12 to 15 months' jail if not for the man's condition.
Mr Naidu compared the case to Mr Ong's, saying his was not even a terminal illness. Mr Ong was fined S$30,000 in August for abetting the obstruction of justice in a case linked to former transport minister S Iswaran.
In sentencing, Judge Ho said that the court faced "the profound tension" between the man's abuse of his position of trust as a doctor and his terminal diagnosis of stage four prostate cancer.
The man's terminal illness includes extensive metastasis to the bones, lymph nodes and lungs, the judge noted, agreeing that judicial mercy ought to be exercised here.
The offender began his jail term immediately.
For molestation, he could have been jailed for up to two years and fined. He cannot be caned by law because he is above 50 years old.
