The victim said she was on a bus when she felt someone touch
her. When she asked passengers for a phone to call the police, the
accused offered his.
A FATHER of two who was accused by a woman of molesting her on a
bus lent her his mobile phone so that she could report him to the
police.
The 20-year-old woman told the court that she was on the vehicle's
upper deck and felt someone touch her.
She turned around and saw Kwan Peng Hong, who was sitting behind
her, withdrawing his hand.
"I stood up and asked him what he was trying to do. He said: 'I
just got excited'," she said.
She warned him not to touch her again.
Later, she alerted the bus driver and asked to be taken to the
nearest police station.
When she asked fellow passengers for a phone to call the police,
Kwan gave her his cellular phone.
The incident happened along Tanglin Road on Nov 3, 1998.
In his defence, Kwan, a former treasury analyst, denied saying he
had become excited. He said he was monitoring the exchange rates on
his pager at the time.
But District Judge Audrey Lim said the woman was a reliable witness
who had no reason to lie.
Kwan's lawyer, Mr Edmond Pereira, said in mitigation that because
of the investigations, his client had left his job.
He urged the court to impose a fine only as Kwan, a first offender,
had not run away after the incident.
Also, there was no injury to the victim, he said.
The judge sentenced Kwan to 10 weeks' jail on Friday. He could have
been jailed for up to two years and fined or caned.
He is out on $10,000 bail pending his appeal against the conviction
and sentence.
from The Straits Times, 2 April 2000
