SAF regular who molested woman gets 1 year's jail, 3 strokes
Wan Ting Koh16 October 2018, 12:46 PM SGT
(PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore /Dhany Osman)
He followed the woman until they reached a dark spot in Bukit Batok – then sped up and molested her.
Jeffrey Toh, a 29-year-old Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) regular, was jailed one year and given three strokes of the cane on Tuesday (16 October) after he pleaded guilty to one count of molesting a 22-year-old woman.
Another count of causing distress to another 24-year-old woman, by sticking his mobile phone into her flat’s window and taking photos as well as videos of her was taken into consideration for his sentencing.
Stalked victim from MRT station
At about 10pm on 16 September last year, Toh and the 22-year-old woman both alighted at Hillview MRT station.
The woman was walking home when Toh spotted her. He felt she had an attractive figure and became aroused upon observing her. Toh then decided for follow the woman.
As they walked on the pavement along Bukit Batok East Avenue 2, the woman sensed that someone was following her. She turned around and Toh pretended to be listening to music on his mobile phone.
The woman then turned back and continued walking.
As she approached a dark area near some bushes, Toh quickened his pace and caught up to the woman. He then lifted her dress from behind and tried to pull down her underwear while molesting her.
The woman tried to fight Toh off and he fled when she began shouting for help. She told her father about the incident and he then called the police. Toh was arrested four days later.
Accused wanted to re-enact porn scenes
Toh admitted that he had, on previous occasions, followed women whom he had found attractive to their blocks at Bukit Batok and Bukit Gombak. He said he had intended to molest the women but did not get an opportunity to do so.
Toh also confessed to having watched pornographic films of men molesting women and wanted to re-enact what he had seen.
In mitigation, lawyer Syafiq Lim said that Toh would lose his job and that his family relied on him to provide for them. He added that Toh was remorseful and had pleaded guilty at an early stage, which spared the victim from having to testify in court.
The lawyer said that the only aggravating factor in this case was that his client had followed the victim over some distance.
District Judge Kessler Soh told Toh that his actions were “very wrong” and that he would be punished quite severely.
Lim asked for a postponement on Toh’s jail sentence, as Toh would be selecting a HDB flat with his girlfriend soon. Toh will begin serving his sentence on 2 November.
For using criminal force to outrage a person’s modesty, Toh could have been jailed up to two years along with a possible fine, caning, or both.
Wan Ting Koh16 October 2018, 12:46 PM SGT
(PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore /Dhany Osman)
He followed the woman until they reached a dark spot in Bukit Batok – then sped up and molested her.
Jeffrey Toh, a 29-year-old Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) regular, was jailed one year and given three strokes of the cane on Tuesday (16 October) after he pleaded guilty to one count of molesting a 22-year-old woman.
Another count of causing distress to another 24-year-old woman, by sticking his mobile phone into her flat’s window and taking photos as well as videos of her was taken into consideration for his sentencing.
Stalked victim from MRT station
At about 10pm on 16 September last year, Toh and the 22-year-old woman both alighted at Hillview MRT station.
The woman was walking home when Toh spotted her. He felt she had an attractive figure and became aroused upon observing her. Toh then decided for follow the woman.
As they walked on the pavement along Bukit Batok East Avenue 2, the woman sensed that someone was following her. She turned around and Toh pretended to be listening to music on his mobile phone.
The woman then turned back and continued walking.
As she approached a dark area near some bushes, Toh quickened his pace and caught up to the woman. He then lifted her dress from behind and tried to pull down her underwear while molesting her.
The woman tried to fight Toh off and he fled when she began shouting for help. She told her father about the incident and he then called the police. Toh was arrested four days later.
Accused wanted to re-enact porn scenes
Toh admitted that he had, on previous occasions, followed women whom he had found attractive to their blocks at Bukit Batok and Bukit Gombak. He said he had intended to molest the women but did not get an opportunity to do so.
Toh also confessed to having watched pornographic films of men molesting women and wanted to re-enact what he had seen.
In mitigation, lawyer Syafiq Lim said that Toh would lose his job and that his family relied on him to provide for them. He added that Toh was remorseful and had pleaded guilty at an early stage, which spared the victim from having to testify in court.
The lawyer said that the only aggravating factor in this case was that his client had followed the victim over some distance.
District Judge Kessler Soh told Toh that his actions were “very wrong” and that he would be punished quite severely.
Lim asked for a postponement on Toh’s jail sentence, as Toh would be selecting a HDB flat with his girlfriend soon. Toh will begin serving his sentence on 2 November.
For using criminal force to outrage a person’s modesty, Toh could have been jailed up to two years along with a possible fine, caning, or both.
