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‘Completely no remorse,’ prosecutor says of man who tried to rape Thai disco singer
Yeo Zhuo Ping was found guilty of two counts of attempted rape and one count of attempted sexual assault. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Christine Tan
Updated
Nov 19, 2024, 04:21 PM
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SINGAPORE - After a night out at a bar, a man attempted to rape a Thai disco singer and force her to perform a sex act on him.
He pushed her into a small room at the staircase landing of a multi-storey carpark and tried to force himself on her.
Yeo Zhuo Ping, 28, denied the charges at his trial by claiming he was “knocked out” and could not recall what happened.
He was found guilty of two counts of attempted rape and one count of attempted sexual assault on Aug 20.
Making the prosecution’s submissions on sentencing on Nov 18, Deputy Public Prosecutor Christina Koh said Yeo had “completely no remorse”.
The incident happened on Aug 7, 2018, when Yeo was 22. The victim, who cannot be named due to a gag order, was 31 years old at the time.
At 9pm the day before, the victim started her shift as a singer at her workplace.
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She was paid a commission based on “garlands” customers purchased for her. She would then have to chat, drink and play table games with them.
Yeo, who visited the bar that evening with a friend, purchased a garland for the victim, and she entertained him at his table, where she drank about four to five glasses of beer.
The pair left the bar together at about 3am on Aug 7 when the victim ended work. She said Yeo had asked her out for supper, and she agreed, as she wanted to keep him as a customer.
The victim later changed her mind and decided to head home, as she was due to fly to Bangkok later that day. Yeo offered to take her home, and she accepted.
They boarded a car and later alighted at a multi-storey carpark at Block 125A Kim Tian Road.
There, Yeo pulled her towards a staircase landing, hugged and kissed her. She tried to run away, but he refused to let her go.
He then pushed the victim into a small room at the staircase landing and attempted twice to rape her. He also tried to force her to perform a sex act on him.
The victim resisted his advances and pleaded with him to let her go.
Yeo eventually left the room. Police CCTV footage captured him leaving the staircase and later crawling on the link bridge to a nearby Housing Board block.
The victim made a police report before she flew to Bangkok that day.
She returned to Singapore four days later and underwent a medical examination on Aug 17. It revealed she had injuries consistent with sexual assault, as well as bruises and abrasions on her arms and legs.
DPP Koh said Yeo’s use of violence was an aggravating factor.
The prosecutor also slammed Yeo’s defence during the trial.
While cross-examining the victim, Yeo’s lawyer asked her if she provided paid sexual services, DPP Koh said.
She said: “So what if she is a Thai disco singer? She is here to earn an honest living. She is not a prostitute, she is not his social escort where sexual advances would be welcome.”
Yeo claimed during the trial that the victim had made false allegations against him in order to stay in Singapore and continue working during the ongoing investigation.
He also alleged that police officers fabricated his statements where he admitted to trying to have sex with the victim.
To this, DPP Koh said: “So everyone has lied in this court except him, Your Honour. He is an angel.”
District Judge James Elisha Lee dismissed Yeo’s allegations against the officers and victim.
The judge also rejected Yeo’s claim that he had knocked his head against the ceiling and lost consciousness during the incident, pointing out that his medical examination did not reveal any head injury.
On Nov 18, Yeo also pleaded guilty to one count each of drink-driving and dangerous driving, which he committed while out on bail for the sexual offences. Two other traffic offences will be taken into consideration for his sentencing.
Yeo is represented by lawyer Amarjit Singh. He will return to court on Dec 6 for sentencing.
