Singapore, Feb 5 (IANS): A 42-year-old Indian singer living in Singapore has been fined S$3,000 for sexually assaulting a female production staff member while intoxicated in 2022.
Sivabaran Siva Prasad Menon, who drank 10 to 15 cups of whiskey on the day of the incident, pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of sexual abuse.
The Straits Times reported that two other charges, including another molestation charge, were considered during sentencing.
On the day of the incident, the victim went to work at the Mediacorp campus on Stars Avenue around 11 a.m. to work on a show that had hired Menon as a singer and dancer.
Deputy public prosecutor Grace Teo told the court that Menon, who was also at the venue, downed up to 15 glasses of whiskey between 3pm and 11.30pm.
After the show, the victim and her friend waited for the elevator, and when they arrived, Menon stepped out of the elevator, grabbed the victim’s chin and kissed her on the cheek.
While trying to pull away, the victim said she didn’t want Menon to treat her in that manner, after which her friend intervened and asked Menon to leave.
Teo told the court that after Ms Menon left the area, the victim cried and hyperventilated because she was stressed by the incident. She called police later that day.
Menon’s lawyer told the court that the incident was Menon’s first encounter with the law and that their contact was fleeting, lasting less than three seconds.
In cases of sexual abuse, offenders can receive up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine, caning, or a combination of these penalties.