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Policeman fined S$6,000 for sexual innuendos, offensive jokes to female subordinate

SINGAPORE — For close to a year, a policewoman endured insulting and sexually explicit comments made by her supervisor, a policeman 10 years her senior.

A senior police officer was fined S$6,000 after pleading guilty to three charges of using insulting words likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to his subordinate.

A senior police officer was fined S$6,000 after pleading guilty to three charges of using insulting words likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to his subordinate.

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SINGAPORE — For close to a year, a policewoman endured insulting and sexually explicit comments made by her supervisor, a policeman 10 years her senior.

In one instance in 2017, when she offered cupcakes to their team as a treat, he compared the frosting to sexual ejaculate.

It was only in April last year that she approached a deputy superintendent to complain about the supervisor, saying that she had been in a confused state and feared the consequences of making a police report. 

She then made a report the next day.

None of the police officers can be named due to a court order to protect the victim’s identity.

On Tuesday (July 30), the senior policeman was fined S$6,000 by the State Courts. 

The 36-year-old pleaded guilty to three charges of using insulting words likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to his 26-year-old victim.

Each charge under the Protection from Harassment Act carries a maximum fine of S$5,000. Five other similar charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

In response to TODAY’s queries, a police spokesperson said that they began disciplinary proceedings against him following his conviction on Tuesday. He has been interdicted from service — or suspended without pay — since Dec 26 last year.

‘GO WHITENING AND EXPANDING’

The court heard that the policeman was the victim’s deputy team leader at the time.

In October 2017, she and her teammates were talking about a trip to Thailand when he suddenly told her: “Want to go Bangkok together? Bring you go whitening and expanding.”

He admitted to saying this but claimed that he was joking. He explained that he was referring to whitening the victim’s skin and expanding her chest. 

He insulted her again the next month, while they were attending a police defence tactics course. She had been practising with a baton with her teammates, when he walked by and said: “Don’t later poke until baby come out.”

She felt sexually harassed by his comments, but also felt helpless as he was her supervisor and she did not want to offend him by telling him off.

He claimed that he meant everything as a joke.

Court documents showed that in 2016, he posted a picture of the victim’s WhatsApp profile photograph in a group chat, then said in a text message: “This one is a virgin, who wishes to try?”

In October 2016, the victim heard him say to someone else: “After Halloween Horror Night, go check into hotel and get her pregnant.”

On another occasion in June 2017, he said that a certain location was very “ulu” (“remote” in Malay), and she would be raped by stray dogs and get pregnant if she went there on her own by bus.

18 YEARS AS POLICE OFFICER

Deputy Public Prosecutor Gregory Gan argued for a fine of at least S$5,000, saying that the policeman’s behaviour “was clearly unacceptable”. 

“As a supervisor, he should not have made the victim the subject of his crude jokes. Such actions would cause the victim to have a miserable work experience. An unequivocal signal must be sent to supervisors, that they must conduct themselves appropriately,” he said.

“For offences of this nature, there appears to be no precedents,” he added.

The policeman’s lawyer, Mr Kalidass Murugaiyan, sought a fine of S$4,500 instead. He told the court that his client was genuinely remorseful and has an “immaculate record and service” of almost two decades, having received multiple commendations and commander’s awards.

The policeman has been suspended from service since he was charged earlier this year for his offences, and wishes to apologise to his victim, the lawyer said.

“I am instructed that he will lose his retirement fund of S$40,000 in the event he is dishonourably discharged… Financial setbacks aside, this man has served the nation for 18 years and he will lose all that he’s worked for since he was 18,” Mr Murugaiyan added.

Related topics

court crime fine police officer verbal abuse sexual harassment

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