GP acquitted of molesting patient in Jalan Tiga clinic
District judge did not find the patient's evidence to be 'unusually convincing'
A doctor has been acquitted of molesting one of his female patients at a Northeast Medical Group clinic in Jalan Tiga, near Old Airport Road, in 2017.
Yesterday, District Judge Jasvender Kaur acquitted general practitioner Lui Weng Sun, 48, of his molestation charge, stressing that she did not find the patient's evidence to be "unusually convincing".
The doctor had been accused of molesting a woman by touching her left breast.
The Vietnamese woman, who was 24 years old at the time, and her boyfriend cannot be named due to a gag order to protect her identity.
Judge Kaur noted that after the purported act of molestation, the boyfriend had called Dr Lui and asked for a face-to-face meeting. The judge said that she "failed to see why there was a need to engage" the doctor and found the boyfriend's conduct to be "highly unusual".
Dr Lui was represented by lawyers Shashi Nathan, Jeremy Pereira and Laura Yeo from Withers KhattarWong law firm.
Speaking on the doctor's behalf after hearing the verdict, Mr Nathan told The Straits Times that his client is "happy and relieved" as the case had been "hanging over his head for more than three years".
During the trial, which started in 2019, the doctor testified that he had placed a stethoscope on the woman's body - over her clothes - to examine her on Nov 6, 2017.
According to Dr Lui, he was working at another clinic in Dawson Road, near Alexandra Road, later that day when he received a phone call from the Jalan Tiga clinic.
During this conversation, the boyfriend accused the doctor of carrying out an "improper examination".
Dr Lui, who was then treating patients, told the man he would call him back after 9pm, the court heard.
The doctor testified that during the second telephone call, the boyfriend said he was "okay" with the doctor examining and touching his girlfriend.
However, the man was unhappy that there was no chaperone inside the examination room and wanted a "jiao dai", or an explanation, in Mandarin. Dr Lui felt that - by uttering those words - the boyfriend had hinted for a compensation. But he also added that the boyfriend did not mention any monetary figure.
The woman had earlier testified that she saw Dr Lui as she had the flu, displaying symptoms including giddiness and nasal congestion.
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