SINGAPORE — A veteran doctor, who is also a motoring writer, was found guilty yesterday of molesting a patient in his clinic on two occasions.

Winston Lee Siew Boon, 70, who had claimed trial, had shown himself to be an untruthful witness, said District Judge Lim Tse Haw.

The victim, on the other hand, presented “unusually convincing” evidence and also had no motive to bring false allegations against the doctor, the judge noted. “She first had to recollect her emotions before giving evidence. Her emotions were real and telling and not contrived,” he added.

The victim, a 34-year-old sales representative at the time of the offence, is not named to protect her identity.

When she visited Lee’s Thong Hoe Clinic at Bukit Batok Street 11 on June 8, 2011, for nausea and flatulence, Lee asked her to lie on a bed, the court heard. After he checked her stomach, the victim complained of chest pains and asked Lee if she could still exercise. Lee then slipped his hand under the cup of her bra and squeezed her breast.

The woman did not think anything was amiss then as she thought it was part of the medical examination.

However, when she returned to the clinic on Oct 30 that year for a sore throat and a cough, Lee squeezed her breast twice while they were discussing weight management. She went to the police the following day.

During the seven-day trial, Lee told the court he was confused, shocked and upset by the molestation allegations.

His lawyers also brought his receptionist to court as a witness to testify that he had only demonstrated to the patient over her clothes where the chest pain would occur. Prosecutors, however, said the witness, who had worked for Lee for 37 years, was fabricating the story.

The judge agreed that the possibility of the receptionist being a biased witness could not be ignored and noted that the victim had sought advice from her friends to make sure she had not assessed the situation wrongly before lodging the report.

Lee, a doctor of 40 years, is a motoring enthusiast who had been actively involved with the Singapore Motor Sports Club (now renamed the Singapore Motor Sports Association), including serving as President for numerous terms.

The father of two started writing about motoring and car-related topics in the late 1960s, and was a regular contributor to magazines and newspapers. His views on Certificates of Entitlement and other transport-related matters were also widely sought.

He was also involved in a firm in the early 2000s that ran a website offering various services for car owners and buyers, such as grooming and servicing, car rental, insurance and financing.

Lee’s case has been adjourned to April 23 for the prosecution to make submissions on sentencing. He faces a jail term of up to two years and/or a fine on each charge.