Limo driver who molested music festival goer after giving her a ride gets jail, caning

SINGAPORE — Spotting a woman in Sentosa who had just attended the popular music festival ZoukOut, Tiu Hong Hwee approached her to ask if she needed a ride home.

When she said yes and got into his car, he seized the opportunity to kiss her on the lips. He then took her to the basement car park of a hotel in the Orchard Road area, where he molested her further.

On Wednesday (March 18), the 38-year-old private limousine driver was sentenced in a district court to one-and-a-half years’ jail and three strokes of the cane for his actions.

He was found guilty of two molestation charges after claiming trial to them, while another similar charge was taken into consideration for sentencing.

He will begin serving his sentence on April 15, and remains out on bail of S$10,000.

The incident happened at about 7am on Dec 10, 2017, after the 19-year-old victim had tried to no avail to get a taxi or book a private-hire vehicle. She had been at ZoukOut with some friends the previous evening.

During his trial, Tiu contended that he had kissed her with her consent, while outright denying that he had touched her private parts over her clothing.

District Judge Ng Peng Hong said on Wednesday that Tiu was expected to respect the integrity of the victim, but instead abused the trust she had in him. He had taken her to the hotel car park on a Sunday, knowing it would be quiet there, the judge added.

In an impact statement, the victim said that she now avoids taking vehicles that resemble Tiu’s and feared that he would confront her where she lived.

“It was apparent that she was also affected by the possibility that the accused would follow her after the proceedings as he knew her address, to the extent that she even showed up to court on the first day of trial wearing a mask,” Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Amanda Han said in her written submissions.

TOLD HER HE ACCEPTED CREDIT CARD

When the victim took the witness stand, she testified that she was at the music festival for a few hours, then rested at a villa with her friends at about 3am. She eventually left at about 7am as she was “very sleepy” and felt a little hungover.

As several others were trying to get home too, she could not get a taxi or book a ride on the ride-hailing firm Grab’s mobile application.

While she was smoking with her friends at a corner, Tiu asked if they needed a ride. She replied that she did and gave him her address, but said she did not have cash. Tiu then reassured her that she could pay by credit card.

When she tried to get into the back seat of his car, he told her to take the front passenger seat instead as her gait was unsteady and he was afraid she would vomit in the back. The woman then got in the front of the vehicle.

As she listened to music through her earphones as the vehicle continued moving, Tiu noticed that she was unsteady and held onto her forearm.

He gave testimony during the trial that she did not react to this or resist, which was the reason why he leaned over and kissed her on the lips when they stopped at a traffic light junction.

She was stunned and did not know how to react. She realised that they were not heading to her home only when they got to the Orchard area.

Tiu then drove into the basement carpark of the Concorde Hotel Singapore and told her to wait for a short time. She thought that he wanted to pick up another passenger, based on her past experience getting similar rides.

But Tiu asked her if she lived on her own and if he could go to her place. She testified that when she refused, he started to kiss her and squeeze her breast, adding that he would take her home if she “helped him”.

“The victim understood this to have a sexual connotation due to the look which he was giving her, which made her feel uncomfortable,” DPP Han said.

He then pushed her onto the back seat, sat on her thighs and squeezed her breast again, touching her private parts.

She escaped by pushing him away, twisting her body and crawling out of the car, before going to the hotel security post and telling a guard that Tiu wanted to rape her.