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Police station inspector fined S$3,000 for pushing two NSFs’ heads towards his groin

SINGAPORE — A veteran police officer was fined S$3,000 in a district court on Wednesday (April 13) after leaving two full-time national servicemen (NSFs) "disgusted" by his actions.

Police station inspector fined S$3,000 for pushing two NSFs’ heads towards his groin
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  • Yick Wai Hong, 47, was responsible for supervising full-time national servicemen at a police facility
  • He pushed two NSFs’ heads towards his groin area in separate incidents
  • One victim reported this in a feedback form, and the other told his superiors after that
  • Yick's lawyer said he wanted to remind them “of the need to perform their duties with diligence”

SINGAPORE — A veteran police officer was fined S$3,000 in a district court on Wednesday (April 13) after leaving two full-time national servicemen (NSFs) "disgusted" by his actions.

Yick Wai Hong, who has served for 25 years and last held the rank of station inspector, had pushed the back of their heads towards his groin.

He was responsible for supervising the NSFs who monitored the surveillance cameras in a police facility.

His lawyer told the court that there was no sexual intent in his actions, and he merely wanted to remind the young officers of the need to diligently perform their duties.

Yick, a 47-year-old Singaporean, pleaded guilty to two charges of using criminal force on the victims. The charges were reduced from those of molestation.

His victims cannot be named due to court orders to protect their identities. They have since completed their National Service duties.

ONE FELT HE WAS MOLESTED

The court heard that on Jan 22, 2020, the first victim, then aged about 21, reported for his night shift and was tasked with monitoring one of the consoles.

He was in the same team as Yick — who was then an assistant duty officer — but did not know the older man well.

At around 3.15am, Yick, who was standing very close to him, asked him if he wanted to take a short break.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Tan Yen Seow told the court that the implication was that Yick would cover the NSF while he took a break.

When the NSF took up his superior’s offer, Yick used his hand to push the younger man's head towards Yick’s groin.

The victim felt “shocked, disgusted and humiliated”, thinking this was an abuse of power and a form of sexual harassment. His face was a finger’s length away from Yick’s groin, DPP Tan said.

The victim then rolled his chair away and left the room, before resuming his duty about five to 10 minutes later. He had no further contact with Yick after that.

The incident was captured by closed-circuit television cameras.

The following day, the victim received an Operationally Ready Date (ORD) feedback form as he was due to complete his National Service in two weeks’ time.

He wrote about Yick’s actions and lodged a police report at Woodlands East Neighbourhood Police Centre after speaking to some other superiors.

The superiors then asked the other NSFs if they had been in similar situations with Yick.

The second victim, then aged about 23, told the deputy commanding officer about what he had experienced.

During one night shift in January 2020, Yick had leaned against the table where the victim was sitting and began eating some snacks that were on the table.

Yick did not say anything. A few minutes later, while leaning over to take some more snacks, Yick pushed the back of the NSF’s head, causing the younger man’s forehead to touch Yick’s groin.

The victim felt that Yick had been disrespectful and rude to him, and also felt scared of Yick because he believed that he had been molested. He then walked away.

YICK WAS 'ZEALOUS'

DPP Tan asked for a fine to be imposed on Yick but left the amount up to the court. He said the main aggravating factor was that Yick was a relatively senior law enforcement officer.

“Instead of setting a good example to his junior police officers, he abused his position of power and undermined the high standing of the police force by behaving inappropriately towards them.

“The victims are in a vulnerable position because they had little mobility and choice as regards their workplace and superiors…  If the first victim had not received the ORD feedback form, the accused’s actions may not have seen the light of the day.”

In mitigation, Yick’s defence counsel Marshall Lim said that Yick had been a highly commended police officer at the time and that he had been “zealous” in ensuring that the “highest standards were maintained during operations”.

He acted out when he thought that there were lapses in the NSFs’ work, Mr Lim said, adding that it was unfortunate because Yick could have done this in other non-physical ways.

He was “not motivated by lust” but really wanted to remind them of the need to perform their duties with diligence, the lawyer from RHTLaw Asia added.

Mr Lim told the court that this was an “embarrassing and painful fall from grace” for Yick, and he has since realised that he needs to be accountable for his actions.

In seeking a total fine of S$1,600, Mr Lim said that his client’s career as a police officer is “likely to end in an unexpected way”.

“This is perhaps the biggest punishment that a man in his position can face,” he added.

Yick was first charged in April last year and at the time, the police said that he had been suspended from service since April 8 that year.

In a reply to TODAY on Wednesday, the Singapore Police Force said that it has begun "internal action" against him after his conviction.

"Officers of the Singapore Police Force are expected to uphold the law and maintain high standards of discipline and integrity. We deal with officers who break the law severely, including charging them in court," it said.

For each charge of using criminal force other than on grave and sudden provocation, Yick could have been jailed for up to three months or fined up to S$1,500, or punished with both.

Related topics

court crime police officer criminal force police NSF

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