SINGAPORE, Aug 1 — A 49-year-old man on trial here for raping a woman after she hired him to fix her lights claimed in court that they instead had consensual sex initiated by her.
Taking the stand on July 31, Koh Lee Hwa told the court she had pulled his arm, which led to their sexual encounter, The Straits Times reported.
Koh denied raping the woman and said the act lasted slightly over 10 minutes, which he compared to the “standard” time he has sex with his wife.
He questioned how a rape could happen so quickly, making the remark through a Mandarin interpreter.
Prosecutors called Koh’s account “unbelievable” and argued that the woman had shown no indication she wanted intimacy.
Koh, a Singapore permanent resident, faces four charges including rape, sexual assault by penetration, and two counts of outrage of modesty, allegedly committed between 11.40am and 12.40pm on 23 August 2021.
The woman, who previously hired Koh for renovation work and later for electrical repairs, had testified earlier in private.
On the day of the incident, she allegedly pushed Koh away after he hugged her in the living room and texted two friends about it before he attacked her again near the master bedroom toilet and raped her despite her resistance.
Koh denied hugging her earlier and claimed she was the one who pulled him towards her, saying they began kissing before “things happened very quickly” and they landed on the bed.
The trial ended with Koh’s testimony, and both prosecution and defence have been given four weeks to file written submissions, followed by one week for replies.
