Singapore — For consistently subjecting his female subordinates to degrading sexually explicit remarks for almost one year, a police supervisor has been slapped with a S$6,000 fine.
The police supervisor, age 36, is a decade older than the policewoman, who endured a prolonged period of being subjected to inappropriate remarks since she was confused about what to do, and feared retaliation if she made a police report.
But in April 2018 she had enough, and spoke to a deputy superintendent regarding her complaint about the supervisor, according to a report from TODAY Online.
By the next day, she made a report against her supervisor, who on July 30, Tuesday, was fined S$6,000 by the State Courts. He pleaded guilty to three charges of using insulting words likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to his subordinate.
Under the Protection from Harassment Act, each of these charges carries a maximum fine of S$5,000, and five other similar charges were also considered for the police supervisor’s sentencing.
TODAY also reported that since December 26, 2018, the supervisor has been suspended without pay, and that a spokesperson from the police said that disciplinary proceedings against the supervisor would begin after his conviction on Tuesday.
The police officers in this case remain unnamed in order to protect the policewoman.
The court heard several examples of his words and behaviour toward the policewoman. For example, when she brought cupcakes to work, he compared the icing on the cake to sexual ejaculation.
Another time, when she had been practising with a baton, he remarked, “Don’t later poke until baby come out.”
He also joked “Want to go Bangkok together? Bring you go whitening and expanding,” when she had talked about taking a trip there.
In 2016, the supervisor posted a photo of the victim’s WhatsApp profile photograph in a group chat, followed by a message that said, “This one is a virgin, who wishes to try?”
Another time, he told her that if she went to a remote area she would get raped by stray dogs.
The woman testified to feeling harassed and helpless at the same time since she was the policeman’s subordinate and she feared offending him.
But according to him, his remarks were all jokes.
However, Gregory Gan, the Deputy Public Prosecutor on the case, said that what he did “was clearly unacceptable,” and he asked for a fine of at least S$5,000.
DPP Gan said, “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.
For offences of this nature, there appears to be no precedents.”
Kalidass Murugaiyan, the lawyer for the police supervisor, argued that the fine should be lower, asking for S$4,500 instead. He said that he was genuinely remorseful and that he has a “immaculate record and service” of almost two decades” was highly commended and had received awards in the performance of his duties.
The policeman also wanted to apologise to the victim, Mr Muruguiyan 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,” the lawyer added. -/TISG
Report: A quarter of Singaporean women have been sexually harassed with more than half unreported