Re: CGH ‘FT’ doctor Senaka Liyanage charged with touching buttocks of ‘sweet-looking’
Doctor cleared of outrage of modesty charges
By Claire Huang
POSTED: 24 Apr 2013 7:28 PM
A Sri Lankan doctor accused of outraging the modesty of a nurse has been cleared of the charges after a five-day trial.
SINGAPORE : A Sri Lankan doctor accused of outraging the modesty of a nurse has been cleared of the charges after a five-day trial.
Dr Senaka Liyanage, 37, was initially accused of tapping the right buttock of the 26-year-old nurse three times on April 5 last year between 9.30am and 2.30pm.
All three alleged incidents took place in the emergency operating theatre in Changi General Hospital.
At that time, the anaesthetic doctor was busy with preparing and conducting an operation.
The complainant, who cannot be named, was a nurse there and was helping out with the preparation.
District Judge Toh Yung Cheong said in his oral judgement that the prosecution's case rested "mainly on the testimony of the complainant".
He said there was "no independent corroboration" and that "none of the three incidents was witnessed by anyone in the operating theatre".
The judge said that while it is a well-established law that an accused person may be convicted of a sexual offence on the uncorroborated testimony of the complainant, the evidence must be "unusually convincing" to prove the prosecution's case beyond reasonable doubt.
After consideration, the judge said he found the victim's evidence insufficient in itself and found the doctor not guilty.
Through his lawyer, Dr Liyanage expressed thanks and was grateful for the exoneration.
The father of two still works at the hospital.
- CNA/ms