Corpun file 24339 at www.corpun.com

The Straits Times, Singapore, 1 February 2013, p.B15

Police officer jailed, caned for molesting drunk woman

By Elena Chong

HE HAD a good track record at work, but a police officer's reputation is now in tatters after his conviction for molesting a drunk woman.

Sergeant Kevin Wu Zhenhao, 30, who also illegally accessed a computer system for updates about the case, was yesterday sentenced to 16 months' jail and three strokes of the cane.

A 13 second-long footage of the molestation on Jan 14 last year -- captured by a resident's closed-circuit television camera -- was played in court last month, when Wu admitted to three charges.

He was off duty during the incident.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Andrew Low told the court that the woman had taken some alcohol before she took a cab and arrived at a Housing Board block in the central zone at about 4.10am.

She staggered while walking to the block. When she reached the void deck, she squatted beside the lift and started to vomit.

Then she felt someone pat her on the shoulder. She turned and saw Wu, who asked if she was all right. He tried to strike up a conversation, but she ignored him.

When the lift door opened, he asked which floor she was going to, and she said it was the fifth floor. He lied when he said that he was living on the 10th floor.

As she was stepping out of the lift, he grabbed her from behind. She struggled, and Wu fell on top of her. He then touched her breast.

He continued to pin her down and molest her. She shouted for help, and he fled towards a staircase.

She crawled to her boyfriend's unit and called him on her mobile phone. He contacted the police after he failed to catch Wu.

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While investigating the outrage of modesty case, a Jurong police officer found out that Wu had unlawfully accessed the Frontline Officers' Computerised System (Focus) several times for information about the case.

Investigations showed that Wu had used his Focus account on Jan 14 and Feb 24 last year to make unauthorised searches relating to the report made by the victim.

Lawyer Josephus Tan said his client had an impeccable service record in a 10-year career in the police. He was named Best Rochor Neighbourhood Police Centre Officer in May 2007.

Just before the offence, he had been wandering around the neighbourhood after his Thai girlfriend overseas had decided to call off their wedding.

Counsel said Wu had "acted out of character" by committing the offence that he is now paying a dear price for.

District Judge Hamidah Ibrahim, who took seven other charges into consideration, said the circumstances of the offence were particularly aggravating.

She noted that the victim had suffered a "very traumatic experience". Wu will start his sentence on Feb 13.

Corpun file 24353 at www.corpun.com

The Straits Times, Singapore, 7 February 2013, p.B10

Guard jailed for molesting maid

By Khushwant Singh

A NEARLY naked security guard at a Bukit Timah condominium climbed through an unlatched window to molest a sleeping Filipino maid at 5.30am on Jan 17 this year.

Sivaram Jengham Thevudoo, 34, a Malaysian, was sentenced to three years in jail and four strokes of the cane yesterday. He pleaded guilty on Monday to assaulting the 29-year-old maid by attempting to kiss her and restraining her when she awoke.

Two other charges, for housebreaking and for stealing the maid's cellphone, were taken into consideration by the court in the sentencing.

District Judge Wong Choon Ning noted that although it was Sivaram's first brush with the law, it was a very serious offence, punishable by imprisonment of between two and 10 years and caning or a fine. The judge further agreed with the prosecution that Sivaram had abused his authority as a security guard of the condominium.

Court papers state that Sivaram was on the night shift from 8pm to 8am. While patrolling at 11pm, he noticed that the window to a ground-floor apartment was not latched properly. He also saw the maid who was wearing a thin blouse and getting ready for bed.

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An hour later, he drank some liquor and went to sleep in the condominium's function room. When he woke up at 5.30am, he went to see the maid.

He removed his uniform and hid it in some bushes. Clad only in his underwear, he climbed through the window.

She was asleep on her back and he knelt over her to try to kiss her.

She woke up screaming and he held her arms and used his knees to pin her thighs down. She continued to struggle until he fled through the window. He was arrested after she called the police.

His jail term was backdated to Jan 18, the day he was charged and placed in remand.