Man on trial for molesting work subordinate 3 times, telling her he was aroused

• Tan Chee Beng, 54, is standing trial for allegedly molesting a subordinate on three occasions
• The alleged victim cannot be named, owing to a gag order to protect her identity
• Tan’s lawyer accused the woman of concocting the allegations as she was worried she might be fired

SINGAPORE — A 54-year-old man began standing trial on Thursday (Nov 26) for allegedly molesting his subordinate at their workplace on three occasions, and telling her he was aroused.

Tan Chee Beng’s alleged victim testified that she was initially afraid to make a police report as she is a single mother of two and needed her job to support them.

However, Tan’s lawyer accused her of making things up to keep her job after Tan scolded her for making mistakes.

Tan, a Singaporean, faces three counts of molestation and one of insulting the alleged victim’s modesty between August 2018 and January last year.

The 39-year-old woman cannot be named due to a court gag order to protect her identity.

Tan, also known as Sam, was one of the bosses at their food supply firm but not her direct supervisor.

She did administrative work at the time and was fired after the last alleged incident. She now works as a finance and account executive at another company.

FIRST AND SECOND INCIDENTS

Taking the witness stand on Thursday, she alleged that Tan first molested her between Aug 15 and Sept 10, 2018.

She had been showing him a work order on her computer while he stood “really close” beside her at her desk.

Tan first told her that her hair smelled nice, then said he was aroused and pulled her hand to his groin area, she told the court. She pulled her hand back before making any contact and told him “don’t”.

When Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Pearly Ang asked if she could tell that he had an erection, she said: “I could see from the corner of my eye, there was a bump around his groin area.”

Tan then allegedly tried to pull her hand towards him again, but she told him to stop before getting up from her chair and leaving the office.

“I was starting to feel very scared,” she testified. “I was a single mum with two kids and I really needed the job. I was afraid that if I made a police report, I would lose my job, they would fire me.”

She testified that he molested her a second time the next month when she was wearing a dress at work and standing next to a whiteboard.

She demonstrated that Tan swiped at her groin area over her dress twice in quick succession. “I felt really scared and very upset. I ran out of the office immediately and started crying,” she said, adding that he was smiling while doing it.

When she ran into two other male colleagues, she claimed that she told them what had happened after they spotted her crying.

Tan also came out, got into his car and told her to update him on deliveries before driving off.

THIRD INCIDENT

DPP Ang then showed her a WhatsApp text message she sent to Tan on Sept 10, 2018. It read: “Sam, I think you should stop whatever you’re trying to do. I don’t feel comfortable.”

She testified that Tan immediately called her to apologise and asked her to delete the message. But she kept it for her “safety” and because she felt “very suspicious” of Tan’s request.

She still did not make a police report as she thought he would stop. “I assumed he knows I’m not okay with whatever he is trying to do,” she added.

But sometime in January last year, he allegedly molested her again while they were alone in a cold room. She was checking on produce when he touched her back and the side of her breast, she testified.

When another male colleague came in, Tan stopped and left.

A few days later, one of the firm’s directors invited her to a dinner at a hotel with a colleague. She said she thought he was offering her a job with his new company, but he brought up Tan instead and told her to think about making a police report.

Her colleague had told the director what happened.

Tan then approached her the following week, telling her the director had called him.

After they spoke, she called the director, who said Tan told him they were having an affair. “That got me even angrier,” she told the court.

After lodging a police report at Nanyang Neighbourhood Police Centre, she took unpaid leave for two weeks as police officers told her to stay away from the office.

The company let her go shortly after she returned as they did not approve of her leave.

CROSS-EXAMINATION

During cross-examination, Tan’s lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam accused her of concocting the molestations as she “wanted a hold” over Tan in case he recommended that she be fired.

Mr Thuraisingam pressed her on whether she was upset about having to work on Saturdays, and whether she had a good working relationship with Tan.

She agreed that he would scold her when she made mistakes.

In relation to the whiteboard incident, the lawyer put to her that Tan scolded her for not updating it, and she began to cry and ran out of the office.

She then lied to her male colleagues about being molested to have some “insurance” and sent Tan the text message to “put it on record”, Mr Thuraisingam charged.

She disagreed.

The lawyer also accused her of keeping the dates of the alleged incidents vague so that no one could check on who was around then. She denied this.

The trial continues on Friday.

If convicted of molestation, Tan could be jailed for up to two years or fined, or both. Offenders aged 50 or above cannot be caned by law.

If convicted of insulting a woman’s modesty, he could be jailed for up to a year or fined, or both.