Woman rejects S$5,000 offer from man who molested her in lift; he was sentenced to 6 days’ jail

SINGAPORE: A man who slapped the buttock area of a woman as he and his wife were leaving an elevator in the early morning hours of Mar 8 was sentenced to a jail term of six days on Wednesday (Oct 22) after he entered a guilty plea for one charge of outrage of modesty.

After the woman took legal action against Hu Guisheng, a 39-year-old Chinese national, he offered her S$5,000, as well as a public apology.

However, she refused his offer.

Reports regarding the incident say that there is a gag order on the woman’s identity.

The incident occurred on Mar 8 at Marina Bay Sands, where he had checked in. Hu was on a visit to Singapore with his wife and some friends. They had all been drinking at club Ce La Vi, leaving the bar at 1:34 a.m.

Hu and his group entered the lift, with the woman present at the time as well. Footage from CCTV cameras shows Hu and his wife holding hands as they step into the elevator.

When they got to the first floor, where they needed to alight, Hu allowed the others to leave ahead of him. The woman, meanwhile, stepped aside to allow others to pass and made sure that the lift door stayed open.

As he was waiting for the others to leave the lift, Hu stood beside the woman. Before he left, he ogled her rear end and then slapped her left buttock.

She then tried to stop him from leaving and called hotel security to detain Hu. By 2:50 a.m., Hu was arrested, although he was released on bail on the same day.

His lawyer, Peter Ong, asked for a fine to be meted out to his client instead of a jail sentence, adding that the incident had affected Hu’s business, which is on the brink of failure. He also characterised Hu’s attitude as “remorseful” after the incident had occurred.

It was Mr Ong who revealed that Hu had offered the victim financial compensation and an apology.

However, the prosecution said that Hu’s business interests and financial troubles are not a part of the proceedings and that his actions toward the woman had been intrusive, given the area where he had given her a slap.

The judge appeared to tend to agree with the prosecution, noting that Hu’s acts had been deliberate and that there was a degree of sexual exploitation in them.

In cases of outrage of modesty in Singapore, individuals who are convicted face jail terms of as long as three years, caning, fines, or a combination of the three. /TISG

Read also: Police: Outrage of modesty cases continue to be a crime of concern in Singapore