Man, 21, who sexually assaulted female friend after they played mobile game gets reformative training

• Lim Jing Wei pleaded guilty in June to one count of sexual assault by penetration
• The victim was a female friend he had invited to play a mobile game
• Lim was sentenced to at least six months of reformative training

SINGAPORE — A young woman went over to Lim Jing Wei’s home to play the popular online mobile game Mobile Legends, but he proceeded to sexually assault her as she repeatedly said “no” and shouted to attract his mother’s attention.

For his actions last year, Lim — who recently turned 21 — was sentenced on Friday (Aug 6) to at least six months of reformative training.

Reformative training, a regimented rehabilitation programme for offenders under 21 who commit relatively serious crimes, is a harsher punishment than probation. Offenders are given a minimum period that is subject to how they respond to the rehabilitation.

Lim had pleaded guilty in June to one charge of sexual assault by penetration. District Judge May Mesenas took into consideration another charge of attempted rape for sentencing.

He remains out on bail of S$80,000 after indicating that he intends to appeal against the sentence.

The court heard that in 2018, he met his victim, who is two years his senior, through mutual friends. She cannot be named due to a court order to protect her identity.

Up until Nov 26 last year, they had gone out together with a group of friends on several occasions and once on their own.

Lim was interested in her and had asked her out in 2018, but stopped when she did not reciprocate.

On the day of the assault, she sent Lim a text message on the Telegram mobile application, inviting him to meet her at her workplace for drinks.

He agreed and the pair shared a Carlsberg beer tower with her friend there. Around 11pm, they parted ways with the friend and had supper, where Lim invited her to his place to play Mobile Legends.

She agreed because she wanted to charge her mobile phone.

When they got there, he asked her to go to his bedroom first while he spoke briefly to his mother in the living room.

He then shut the bedroom door behind them and they played the game. Soon after, he asked her to lie down next to him in bed, but she declined.

He then lay on top of her, hugged and kissed her. She pushed him away and shouted “auntie”, believing his mother would go into the room.

However, this did not work and Lim tried removing her long-sleeved top. She stopped him and said “no”, but eventually complied with his requests, believing that he would be appeased, the court heard.

When she did so, Lim sexually assaulted her. She was too shocked to react in time to stop him, but soon told him to stop and shifted away.

He complied before asking her to perform a sex act on him. She declined and instead suggested that they cuddle in order to appease him.

He agreed and fell asleep about 15 minutes later.

She then dressed herself and broke down, traumatised by what had happened.

She sent messages to several of her friends and asked if they could pick her up, before composing herself and searching for the keys to his flat.

She also found his wallet and took a photograph of his National Registration Identity Card to pass to the police.

One of her friends later helped her to make a police report.

Adult offenders convicted of sexual assault by penetration can be jailed for up to 20 years, and fined or caned.