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SINGAPORE — A 68-year-old retiree was fined S$3,000 on Friday (Sept 27) for molesting a 55-year-old woman at a cinema in Bukit Batok last month.
Cheo Chwee Thiam pleaded guilty in a district court on Friday to one charge of molestation. Another charge of trespassing into the cinema without a ticket was taken into consideration for sentencing.
The court heard that on Aug 11, Cheo went to the Cathay Cineplexes outlet in West Mall Shopping Centre. He entered one of the theatres after the movie had started, sat beside his victim and caressed her thigh.
When the woman shouted at him, he apologised and ran out of the cinema.
The victim cannot be named due to a court gag order to protect her identity.
She had gone to the cinema at about 2.30pm with her daughter to watch a Tamil legal drama film, Nerkonda Paarvai. The theatre was relatively empty when the movie began, with four empty seats to her left.
About half an hour into the movie, Cheo entered without buying a ticket and sat immediately to the victim’s left. He had seized the chance to go in when he noticed there were no staff members at the entrance.
Cheo leaned towards the victim while the movie was playing, which made her feel uncomfortable, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Stacey Anne Fernandez told the court.
The victim shifted away from him and placed her handbag in between them to prevent him from touching her.
Cheo left the cinema during a 10-minute intermission, but returned and sat beside the victim and her daughter again.
When the film continued, the victim suddenly felt “something moving from her left outer thigh, and inching towards her inner thigh across her pants”, DPP Fernandez said.
The victim found Cheo’s hand lingering on her thigh, immediately pushed his hand away and shouted at him.
He said: “Sorry, sorry” to her before running out. After the movie ended about one-and-a-half hours later, the victim told the cinema’s duty manager about the incident.
The manager then called the police.
At about 10.30pm that day, police officers patrolling the mall spotted Cheo at the taxi stand. He was then arrested.
In mitigation, Cheo asked District Judge Shawn Ho for “one last chance” and promised not to do it again.
For using criminal force to outrage the victim’s modesty, Cheo could be jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or any combination of the three.
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...-who-molested-55-year-old-woman-cathay-cinema
Cheo Chwee Thiam pleaded guilty in a district court on Friday to one charge of molestation. Another charge of trespassing into the cinema without a ticket was taken into consideration for sentencing.
The court heard that on Aug 11, Cheo went to the Cathay Cineplexes outlet in West Mall Shopping Centre. He entered one of the theatres after the movie had started, sat beside his victim and caressed her thigh.
When the woman shouted at him, he apologised and ran out of the cinema.
The victim cannot be named due to a court gag order to protect her identity.
She had gone to the cinema at about 2.30pm with her daughter to watch a Tamil legal drama film, Nerkonda Paarvai. The theatre was relatively empty when the movie began, with four empty seats to her left.
About half an hour into the movie, Cheo entered without buying a ticket and sat immediately to the victim’s left. He had seized the chance to go in when he noticed there were no staff members at the entrance.
Cheo leaned towards the victim while the movie was playing, which made her feel uncomfortable, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Stacey Anne Fernandez told the court.
The victim shifted away from him and placed her handbag in between them to prevent him from touching her.
Cheo left the cinema during a 10-minute intermission, but returned and sat beside the victim and her daughter again.
When the film continued, the victim suddenly felt “something moving from her left outer thigh, and inching towards her inner thigh across her pants”, DPP Fernandez said.
The victim found Cheo’s hand lingering on her thigh, immediately pushed his hand away and shouted at him.
He said: “Sorry, sorry” to her before running out. After the movie ended about one-and-a-half hours later, the victim told the cinema’s duty manager about the incident.
The manager then called the police.
At about 10.30pm that day, police officers patrolling the mall spotted Cheo at the taxi stand. He was then arrested.
In mitigation, Cheo asked District Judge Shawn Ho for “one last chance” and promised not to do it again.
For using criminal force to outrage the victim’s modesty, Cheo could be jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or any combination of the three.
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...-who-molested-55-year-old-woman-cathay-cinema
