BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Borneo Bulletin/Asia News Network): The Magistrate’s Court on Monday (June 5) handed a 21-month jail sentence to a private doctor who took advantage of a friend by molesting her.
No whipping was imposed on Dr Matthew Tan as he is over 50 years old.
Magistrate Noor Alaihuddin convicted the defendant on finding the prosecution to have proven the case beyond reasonable doubt, mainly relying on the victim’s testimonies.
The court also disbelieved the defendant’s version of the turn of events after finding inconsistencies in his defence when compared to his police statements.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Fitri Kiprawi’s case against the defendant shows that the defendant had invited the 49-year-old victim and her daughter to join him and his friends for lunch at a place.
After lunch, the defendant and his friends went to the victim’s house where they were served drinks.
Soon after, the victim’s daughter left for her grandmother’s house, leaving her mother and guests behind. As the evening went on, the victim went to prepare food in the kitchen when the defendant’s friends got ready to leave.
As they said their goodbyes, the victim last remembered that the defendant also wanted to leave when she saw him gesturing to his friends.
The victim only recalled clearly being at the door last. The following turn of events told by the victim was when she regained consciousness and only remembered fragments of what happened that night when she was molested.
The next morning, the victim woke up to a WhatsApp message from the defendant that he had brought her car and would return it by noon.
The victim replied with a message saying that she intended to file a police report.
The defendant eventually returned the victim’s car and texted her to ask if he had left his glasses.
The victim did not reply after telling him that she wanted to file a police report.
The victim did not file the report as she was not feeling well and was afraid to do so after remembering the defendant’s claims to having connections with influential people.
The incident only came to light when the victim was seeing a doctor and confided in her.
The doctor told the Criminal Investigation Department Police about the victim and her ordeal, prompting investigations.
The defendant, represented by defence counsel Ahmad Basuni Abbas of Messrs Abrahams Davidson and Company, denied the victim’s claims and argued that she may have hallucinated and been financially motivated, to claim compensation from such allegations.
The court also found the defendant’s statement to the police inconsistent with his defence.
The defendant claimed that he did not remember everything clearly as he was drunk.
