SINGAPORE — While on his way to deliver items, deliveryman Muhammad Fairuz Abdul Ghani entered a lift with a woman, followed her home and molested her twice. This was at a time that he was under investigation for committing a similar offence.

He had recognised her because he had delivered items before to her house. 

Fairuz, 30, pleaded guilty on Tuesday (Jan 4) to three charges, including outrage of modesty and an unrelated charge of driving while under disqualification. 

Two other charges will be taken into consideration for sentencing, which will take place in February.

WHAT HAPPENED 

The victim is a 25-year-old woman. She cannot be named due to a court order to protect her identity. 

On the evening of June 8 in 2021, the woman was returning home from work. 

Fairuz was in the area delivering goods. The court heard that he was working as a deliveryman at the time. 

He encountered the victim at a lift lobby and they entered the otherwise unoccupied lift together. 

He then tried to strike up a conversation with her, saying that he had previously delivered items to her house before and knew that there were many people living there. 

He then asked her who was the man living in the house. 

As the victim was leaving the lift on the fourth level, Fairuz tailed her and touched her buttocks with his hand. The court heard that this touch lasted for a few seconds. 

Shocked, the victim turned around and looked at him. However, he continued to follow her. 

She turned right and tried to walk away from her home so that he would not follow her there. However, Fairuz told her that he knew the location of her unit.

She then walked towards her home while he continued tailing her. 

Just before she stepped into her house, Fairuz molested her again. 

She made a police report three days later on June 11, 2021.

Court documents showed that Fairuz molested her while he was under investigation for a similar offence. 

On Sept 26, 2020, he touched another woman’s lower waist and moved his hand towards her buttocks. 

He was also convicted of driving while under disqualification by the State Courts from holding or obtaining a driving licence for all classes of vehicles. 

'LACK OF REMORSE'

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Foong Ke Hui sought a sentence of at least two months for the outrage of modesty offence and 16 weeks' jail for the traffic offences, as well as disqualification from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licence for 96 months, which is equivalent to eight years. 

Regarding Fairuz's outrage of modesty offence, DPP Fong said that he had shown a "lack of remorse".

Fairuz had denied his actions even after being confronted by closed-circuit camera television footage of him committing the act. 

On his traffic offences, DPP Foong noted that he was a repeat offender and "the sheer number" of previous offences highlighted his disregard of the law. 

The man's lawyer, Mr Wee Hong Shern of law firm Ong & Co, asked that any sentence imposed on his client be deferred. 

Mr Wee said that his client's wife is pregnant and is due to give birth in March this year. However, she suffers from certain health complications, resulting in a higher chance of miscarriage. 

The couple would also require extra time to find alternative care arrangements after Fairuz starts serving his sentence. 

District Judge Victor Yeo agreed to the request and ordered Fairuz to return to court in February. 

Anyone found guilty of molestation could be jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or receive any combination of the three.