Acupuncturist on trial for molesting his boss during treatment
Published on Jan 17, 2013
By Khushwant Singh
A traditional Chinese medical practitioner, 61, is on trial for outraging the modesty of his boss, 54, while treating her in a Chinatown clinic on Dec 24, 2009. In the confession letters to her soon after the incident, he said he had used the acupuncture needles to make her unable to resist the molestation. Neither can be named.
Testifying at the start of the trial on Thursday, the boss said that she has suffered from sciatica nerve pain in her hip for the past 10 years and sought treatment in hospitals in China. Now a Singaporean, the woman said that she decided to consult the oldest of the three practitioners she hired. He started treating her on Dec 3, 2009, about two months after he started working for her.
In his police statement that read out in a district court, the physician said she was pleased with the results and sought treatment on a weekly basis. He said he was shocked to find her unaccompanied by a nurse and dressed in just a towel and her underwear. In previous sessions, she was fully clothed and accompanied by a female assistant.
He claimed that while carrying out the acupuncture process at her hip and groin area, his hand slipped and touched her private parts. She had asked in Mandarin: "Like that also can do?" but he offered no reply. In another instance, he said he was removing needles from her chest and accidental touched her nipples. She has yet to tell the court her version of the events.
