Groomsman who sexually assaulted bride on wedding night given 7 years' jail, caning

SINGAPORE — A 42-year-old man who molested and sexually assaulted his friend's wife on their wedding night was on Monday (Sept 19) sentenced to seven years' jail and six strokes of the cane.

The Singaporean, who was a groomsman during the wedding, had molested the bride while she was asleep in the hotel room on the morning after the wedding banquet.

The groomsman was convicted in May of one charge each of molestation and sexual assault, after pleading not guilty to the offences. He had claimed during the trial, which began in March 2020, that he thought the victim was his own wife and that he was sleeping next to her at home.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Ng Yiwen said on Monday: “The accused’s vile acts of sexually assaulting the sleeping victim ruined her memory of what was meant to be a joyous and momentous occasion for her.”

DPP Ng added that the groomsman displayed no compunction even when he knew that the bride has mistakenly believed that he was her husband, and that he continued to molest her in the most invasive manner.

None of the parties involved can be named due to a court order to protect the identity of the victim, who is now 39 years old. The gag order extends to the hotel’s name and the exact date the couple got married in 2016.

The newlyweds, who dated for 11 years, got a divorce after the incident.

WHAT HAPPENED

The groom and the groomsman were colleagues and had been close friends for about eight years before the wedding day, the court previously heard.

After the wedding banquet, several of the 10 groomsmen, including the accused, and some bridesmaids took the leftover alcohol to the bridal suite and continued drinking there. The bride did not join in but went to sleep instead.

The groom and the groomsman both fell asleep on separate sofas in the living room, which was separated from the bedroom by a sliding door.

The victim testified that she woke up at about 6am and felt someone caressing her chest, as well as initiating a sex act with her. Thinking that it was her husband, she told him to take a shower but received no response.

The touching stopped for a while before continuing. 

She later realised that it was not her husband. Feeling afraid, she got out of bed and went to the suite’s living room to look for her husband, who was still asleep in his wedding suit on a two-seater sofa. 

The groomsman then emerged shirtless from the bedroom.

The victim soon confronted him about what he did. He denied it at first, but then admitted to touching her chest but swore that he did not “touch her below”.

Her husband, awake by then, told him to leave. The couple then discussed what to do and she decided to make a police report that same morning.

NOT A CREDIBLE WITNESS

When testifying during the trial, the groomsman said that he thought he was asleep in bed at home and touching his wife. He outright denied sexually assaulting the victim.

Principal District Judge Victor Yeo found that he was not a credible witness and that his version of events in the suite’s living room was inconsistent with his police statement.

On the other hand, District Judge Yeo found that the victim’s husband corroborated material aspects of her evidence, and that she had testified in an “honest and forthright manner”.

He noted that she was "obviously traumatised" over the incident, as observed by the investigation officer and the doctor who examined her afterwards.

The prosecution told the court that the groomsman was jailed three months in 2002 for an offence of exhibiting or distributing obscene films.

His lawyer Edmond Pereira told TODAY that his client intends to appeal against both the conviction and the sentence.

For molestation, he could be jailed up to two years, fined, caned, or any combination of the three. For sexual assault by penetration, he could be jailed up to 20 years and fined or caned.