SINGAPORE, Oct 21 — Attracted to a woman he saw on the train, 22-year-old Tran Xuan Bang followed her home with the intention of expressing his feelings to her. But when she rejected his advances, Tran grabbed her and tried to carry her to a deserted part of a car park, molesting her in the process.
After pleading guilty today to one charge of outrage of modesty, Tran was sentenced to 24 months' imprisonment and three strokes of the cane. One other charge was taken into consideration.
Tran, a Vietnamese, was working as a cook at a Pasir Ris coffeeshop at the time.
What happened
Sometime before 6.35am on Sept 16, Tran noticed the 21-year-old victim on the train. She was on her way home after having drinks with her friends at a pub.
The victim’s identity cannot be revealed due to a gag order.
When she alighted from the train at Kallang MRT station at around 6.35am, Tran decided to follow her.
As the victim was waiting to cross the road, Tran approached her and tried to speak to her in Vietnamese.
Unable to understand what he was saying, she smiled and said “hi”.
Tran continued tailing her as she walked home, walking so close to her that she could feel him press against her back.
This was in spite of the victim quickening her pace, extending her hand to distance himself from her and telling him to go away.
As she entered the car park near her home, Tran grabbed her arm and waist, attempting to pull her to a corner where they would not be seen.
The court heard that he planned to express his feelings there and enter into a relationship with her.
When she broke free of his grasp, Tran grabbed her waist and thigh and lifted her off the ground, intending to carry her there himself. But he managed to do so only for a few steps.
While they were struggling, Tran inserted his finger down her skirt, past her waist and touched her groin area next to her underwear skin-to-skin.
He also prevented the victim from escaping by cornering her. She did not attempt to run as she knew she was not a fast runner.
Tran released her only when a person walked past and the victim screamed for help.
Tran then fled the scene and the victim quickly returned home.
She lodged a police report a few hours later and Tran was arrested later that day.
'Suffered psychological harm'
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ernest Goh sought a sentence of 24 months' imprisonment and three strokes of the cane.
He listed a number of aggravating factors, such as how Tran had used his physical advantage to carry the victim away and that the offence was not committed in isolation.
“He had tried to touch her in a pattern of escalating boldness, by first following closely behind her, grabbing her arm and waist and then carrying her,” said Mr Goh.
He added that the victim had suffered psychological harm after the incident as she felt shocked, angry and violated.
Addressing the court through an interpreter, Tran apologised and pleaded for leniency.
He said: “I wish to go back to Vietnam as soon as possible to take care of my two children.”
In sentencing, District Judge John Ng accepted the aggravating factors raised by the prosecution and agreed to the proposed sentence.
For using criminal force to outrage the modesty of his victim, Tran could have been jailed up to three years or fined or caned, or given a combination of any of these punishments. — TODAY
