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A man reached out to a 21-year-old woman who had declined a job offer from his employer and arranged to meet her for dinner in Singapore.
After dinner, they went to a park where the man went into the woman’s toilet cubicle and sexually assaulted her and attempted to get her to perform sex acts on him.
The assault was stopped only when the man heard footsteps outside and left in a hurry.
The sex offender, 34-year-old Singaporean Choy Zisheng, was sentenced on Monday to seven years’ jail and four strokes of the cane.
He pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault by penetration and one count of obstructing justice, with three other charges taken into consideration.
The court heard that the victim went to Choy’s office for a job interview sometime in 2023, but eventually declined a job offer from Choy’s employer.
Certain details were redacted from court documents to protect the identity of the victim.
In January 2024, Choy, who is also known as Cai Zisheng, reconnected with the victim by reaching out to her on social media.
They arranged for dinner on January 15, 2024, with the victim agreeing to meet as she saw Choy as a potential customer for her family’s business.
They ate at a fast food outlet near Lavender MRT station before heading to Kallang Riverside Park.
The victim excused herself to use the washroom and Choy followed her but went to the men’s room instead.
After relieving herself, the victim opened the cubicle door and found Choy standing outside her cubicle with no one else present.
Choy asked her to show him her chest and she repeatedly rejected him.
Choy then entered the cubicle with the victim, closed the door and locked it.
He backed the victim up against the wall and molested her before forcefully kissing her.
Disgusted, the victim spat onto his shirt. Choy then sexually assaulted her while she told him to stop.
Choy tried to force the woman into performing a sex act on him, but she resisted and pulled away. He then forced her to perform another sex act on him for a few seconds.
At this point, Choy heard footsteps outside and hurriedly put his trousers back on and left the victim alone in the toilet. The woman was in shock and composed herself before leaving.
Choy then returned to pass the victim her laptop and asked why she was crying.
He insisted that he “did not rape her”, and challenged her to make a police report before riding away on his electric bicycle.
The victim called her friend for help and went to make a police report the next day.
Meanwhile, Choy unfollowed her on Instagram and blocked her on Facebook. He also deleted correspondence he had with the victim, but the victim managed to take some screenshots before he did so.
Choy got his then-girlfriend to drive him out of Singapore to Malaysia about five hours after the offences, but was arrested a few days later when he came back to Singapore.
He was later remanded.
The prosecution sought six years and 10 months’ jail to seven years and seven months’ jail for Choy, along with four strokes of the cane.
They said Choy had committed the offence after locking the victim in a cubicle with him, limiting her ability to escape or seek help.
Choy’s lawyer, Jared Lee from Regent Law, asked for not more than six years’ jail and not more than four strokes of the cane.
He said Choy admits that he should not have committed the acts in question and that they were due to “a lapse in judgment”.
He said Choy was self-employed before the proceedings and stayed with his grandmother, whom he had been caring for after she underwent a total knee replacement.
He said Choy wishes to reunite with his parents – including his mother who had a stroke – to fulfil his filial duties as their son.
“The accused regrets his behaviour and understands that his actions have brought unnecessary stress and pain to his family,” Lee said in his mitigation plea.
He said Choy was “going through a very stressful period in his life”, but that this incident has taught him a lesson and he vows never to run afoul of the law ever again.
For sexual assault by penetration, he could have been jailed for up to 20 years and fined or caned.
For obstructing justice, he could have been jailed for up to seven years, fined or both.
This story was first published by CNA


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Choy Zisheng entered a woman’s toilet cubicle with the victim, locked the door and sexually assaulted her while she told him to stop


Choy Zisheng entered a woman’s toilet cubicle with the victim, locked the door and sexually assaulted her while she told him to stop.


Sexual harassment and assault

Crime

7 years’ jail for Singaporean who sexually assaulted jobseeker after dinner

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Choy Zisheng entered a woman’s toilet cubicle with the victim, locked the door and sexually assaulted her while she told him to stop

Choy Zisheng entered a woman’s toilet cubicle with the victim, locked the door and sexually assaulted her while she told him to stop