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Man, 20, admits to using criminal force to molest 22-year-old

SINGAPORE — She was dancing on a podium on a night out with friends at Zouk club when a total stranger accosted her, persisting despite her pleas.

SINGAPORE — She was dancing on a podium on a night out with friends at Zouk club when a total stranger accosted her, persisting despite her pleas.

On Thursday (May 25), Toh Jian Hui, 20, pleaded guilty to one charge of using criminal force on his 22-year-old victim ­— who cannot be named on a court order ­— with the intent to outrage her modesty. 

The court heard that on May 29 last year, at around 1.30am, Toh had approached the victim as her friend was leaving the dance floor.

He pulled her towards him, even though she tried to resist by pushing him away with her elbow. The court heard he then “forcibly turned the victim around” and pressed himself against her back. He also used his hands to molest her despite her struggles to escape.

When she finally managed to break free, he grabbed her arm and asked her where she was headed. Wanting to escape Toh, she lied that she would return soon.

She made a police report around 4am, after telling her brother over text message about what had happened.

Defence counsel T.M. Sinnadurai told the court Toh was “remorseful” for his act, and he was “a very bright student” in school, who was waiting to start tertiary education after completing his A-Levels and National Service.

The prosecution, led by deputy public prosecutor Chew Xin Ying, called for a report to assess Toh’s suitability for probation. 

District Judge Eddy Tham, meanwhile, noted that the act was an “offence” and would ordinarily warrant a “substantial” custodial sentence with caning, if not for his young age. 

The judge said he would decide on the sentence once the probation suitability report was out. 

Toh will next appear in court for sentencing on June 30. 

He could be sentenced to a maximum of two years in jail, and/or caned, and/or fined.

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