A*Star scientist pleads guilty to masturbating in condo backyard, lying naked in a victim’s bed

• During the circuit breaker period last year, Xie Danpeng exposed his genitals in a condominium backyard
• Two neighbours caught him in the act 
• After he was evicted, he moved into another residence where a woman found him lying naked in her bed 
• A judge called for a mandatory treatment order report to be prepared

SINGAPORE — A researcher at Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) admitted on Monday (July 5) to exposing his genitals to two women at a condominium complex where he lived.  

In another incident, a victim returned home to find Xie Danpeng lying naked on her bed. 

He had been walking around the unit wearing only transparent underwear prior to this, the court heard.

All his victims cannot be named due to a court order to protect their identities.

Xie, a Chinese national, also stole a bicycle and a pair of shoes in separate incidents. 

The 30-year-old pleaded guilty in a district court to two charges of sexual exposure, one of criminal trespass and one of dishonest misappropriation of property. 

Two other similar charges will be taken into consideration for sentencing on Aug 2.

District Judge Lau Qiuyu called for a report to assess if he is suitable for a mandatory treatment order — a community sentencing option offered to offenders suffering from mental conditions that contributed to the offence. 

He remains out on bail in the meantime.

In response to TODAY's queries, A*Star said it has suspended Xie and initiated its internal disciplinary process.

“A*star holds our employees to the highest standards of conduct and behaviour, and takes a firm stand against any proven acts of law-breaking," it said, adding that it will take into account the court’s assessment of Xie's mental condition.

WHAT HE DID

Xie first struck on April 10 last year, during the circuit breaker period when social movements were restricted due to the Covid-19 outbreak.  

He stole a mountain bicycle, valued at about S$600, that someone left near the entrance of the McDonald’s outlet at Alexandra Retail Centre.

He was caught on closed-circuit television cameras. The bicycle was never recovered.

Two days later, a woman in her 30s living at the Barossa Gardens condominium in Pasir Panjang saw Xie, who was renting a unit at the condominium, masturbating in the common area. 

Xie noticed her taking a video of him but did not stop and also stared at her. 

This alarmed her and she ran back to her unit, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Stephanie Koh told the court.

The victim later showed the video to her employer who called the police.

Around the same time, another 26-year-old resident was standing on her balcony when she saw Xie masturbating in the common area. 

He then made eye contact with her.

She quickly called out to her boyfriend, who rushed out to the balcony and asked Xie what he was doing. Xie then ran back to his own unit.

The other man later confronted him and reported the incident to the condo management.

Xie was arrested that same day and later released on bail. He was then evicted and banned from entering the condominium from April 14 onwards.

Five days later, however, he returned and got into the complex through an unlocked door leading to a rubbish collection area. 

He then took a pair of shoes on a shoe rack outside a unit and left.

Twenty minutes later, he returned and told the owners that he was returning the shoes.

Investigations further revealed that he had also tried to return to Barossa Gardens on April 15. Police officers then warned him not to do it again.

After Xie’s eviction, he moved to a different rented premise where he harassed a 32-year-old woman on June 12 last year. 

She called the police after finding him lying naked on her bed.

“Further investigations revealed that in the week prior to this, Xie had been walking around the unit wearing only transparent underwear,” DPP Koh added.

HEARD VOICE IN HIS HEAD TELLING HIM TO PERFORM ACT: LAWYER

The prosecutor sought 10 weeks’ jail. She objected to a mandatory treatment order report, noting that while Xie was diagnosed in the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) with exhibitionistic disorder and has a history of adjustment disorder, they did not impair his impulse control.

Xie’s lawyer Chung Ting Fai asked for a fine and the report to be called.

In his mitigation plea, Mr Chung said that during the incidents Xie was undergoing “tremendous stress” at work and feeling pressured over his girlfriend’s desire to relocate to Singapore.

It was his first time doing such a thing and he told an IMH doctor that he had been hearing voices in his head laughing at him and telling him to perform the act, Mr Chung said.

Xie is now seeing a psychiatrist and is on anti-depressants.

For sexual exposure, he could be jailed for up to a year or fined, or punished with both.

For criminal trespass, he could be jailed for up to three months or fined up to S$1,500, or both. He could also be jailed for up to two years or fined, or both, for dishonestly misappropriating property.