SINGAPORE: A man who sexually assaulted a woman inside a women’s toilet cubicle at Kallang Riverside Park was sentenced to seven years’ jail and four strokes of the cane.
After the sexual assault, the man asked the victim why she was crying and insisted that he did not rape her. He then challenged her to make a police report and left the scene.
Choy Zisheng, 34, pleaded guilty on Monday (Jan 19) to sexual assault by penetration and obstructing the course of justice.
The woman cannot be named due to a gag order to protect her identity.
Choy, who is also known as Cai Zisheng, met the woman in 2023 when she went to his office for a job interview. She ended up declining a job offer from Choy’s employer.
In 2024, Choy reconnected with the woman on social media. She agreed to meet him for dinner as she saw him as a potential customer for her family business.
On Jan 15, 2024, they ate at a fast-food restaurant near Lavender MRT station. After dinner, they went to Kallang Riverside Park, where the woman excused herself to use the toilet.
After relieving herself, the woman opened the door and found Choy standing right outside the cubicle. No one else was around at the time.
Choy told the woman to show him her chest, but she repeatedly rejected him. Choy then entered the cubicle and locked the door, preventing her from leaving.
He backed the woman against the wall, lifted her shirt and molested her. When he forcefully kissed her, she pulled away and spat on his shirt, disgusted by what he had done.
Choy then sexually assaulted her and forced her to perform a sex act on him.
It was only when Choy heard footsteps outside the toilet that he hurriedly pulled up his trousers and left the cubicle.
As the woman was in shock, she took a while to compose herself in the cubicle before leaving.
Choy later returned to the toilet to pass the woman her laptop. He asked why she was crying and challenged her to alert the police before riding away on his electric bicycle.
That same night, as the woman was lodging a police report, she noticed that Choy had unfollowed her on Instagram and blocked her on Facebook.
He also deleted the correspondence between them, obstructing the course of justice.
The woman, however, had taken screenshots of several of their messages before Choy deleted them. It was not stated in court documents which app the conversations took place on.
Around five hours after the assault, Choy asked his girlfriend at the time to drive him to Malaysia. He was arrested when he re-entered Singapore on Jan 19, 2024.
Those convicted of sexual assault by penetration can be jailed for up to 20 years and can also face a fine or caning.
Offenders who obstruct the course of justice can be jailed for up to seven years, fined, or both. - The Straits Times/ANN
