A security guard working at the new Wandervale executive condominium (EC) in Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3 was arrested yesterday after he illegally entered an apartment unit and forced himself on a domestic helper the day before. The suspect was reportedly armed with scissors, and the woman was found with her clothes cut open. The police were alerted to the incident before 6 in the morning, and the perpetrator was caught before noon hiding in the EC’s parking lot.
On November 4, in the wee hours of the morning, as condominium residents slept soundly, Singaporean Jeffry Ali, 32, security guard in-charge of keeping them safe did the very opposite. He entered one of the units on the ground floor through a window and made his way into a room where the resident’s grandchildren and the family helper were sleeping.
Armed with a pair of scissors, he placed himself on top of the sleeping helper and proceeded to cut her clothes open and push himself on her, kissing her forcibly on the face. She struggled and cried out for help, but because he was threatening her with a pair of scissors, she was unable to remove herself from his grip.
Meanwhile, in another room, the unit’s elderly resident awoke to sounds of movement in the house. She got up to check the house. When she went to her grandchildren’s room, she was shocked to see Ali on top of the family helper, brandishing a pair of scissors and holding her down. The 32-year-old woman’s clothes had been cut open, and she was crying loudly for help.
The elderly resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that as she called out to the neighbours for assistance, Ali managed to escape through the front door.
The incident of aggravated outrage of modesty was reported to the police at 5:37AM.
Aggravated outrage of modesty is the act of causing fear of death, hurt, or wrongful restraint to the victim, or if the offence is committed in a lift or against a child under 14.
A Wandervale resident shared that up to 50 police officers and 17 vehicles, including four from the SOC (Special Operations Command), arrived on the scene.
Police have said that they needed a good amount of officers to adequately cover the entire residential property, which has 534 units.
At 11:40AM, six hours after the incident was reported, police found Ali hiding in one of the EC parking lots and arrested him for molestation.
Ali is currently being held at Jurong Police Division awaiting his next court appearance, which is scheduled for November 12.
If he is convicted for crimes of molestation, Ali will serve jail time of about two to 10 years and a punishment of caning.
Investigations into the molestation incident are still ongoing.