On trial for molest, lawyer says he gave statement to avoid court case
On trial for molesting colleague, he is contesting the admissibility of his statement
A lawyer who used to work for top law firm Drew and Napier is accused of molesting a colleague once and insulting her modesty on three separate occasions by acts such as snapping pictures of her underwear.
He allegedly committed these offences at the Ocean Financial Centre in Collyer Quay in April and October 2017, and faces four charges in all.
On the second day of the trial yesterday, the court heard that the lawyer, who is now working for another firm, gave a statement in November 2017 to investigation officer (IO) Thanabalan Kothandapani in which he admitted his alleged offences.
This incriminating statement could potentially be submitted to the court as evidence against him.
He is now contesting its admissibility, stating the officer had offered to close the case if he agreed to conditions that included admitting to the offences and apologising to the parties involved.
When queried by District Judge Samuel Chua yesterday, the man said: "First, there was a guarantee that by doing so, there would be no court proceedings. Second, to my mind, there was something like a settlement negotiation. People do apologise and admit to things which they didn't do in order to procure an amicable closure to matters."
The judge also asked the lawyer why he saw the need to give an apology to exculpate himself. He replied: "(It's because) of the offer that the IO had given me - that the matter would not go to the AGC (Attorney-General's Chambers) if I did all these things. I simply wanted the matter to be closed so I could live my life."
He also said he wanted to avoid the "whole process" of going on trial, adding that if he faced charges, "the matter would have appeared in major news outlets" which would have affected his mother's health.
In a statement, Drew and Napier said it has a "strict zero-tolerance policy" towards misconduct of any nature. Its spokesman said: "Our colleagues work hard to maintain a supportive and respectful work environment with an open-door policy.
"We are fully committed to ensuring that every single member of our firm feels safe, and that reported cases of misconduct, sexual or otherwise, are responded to swiftly.
"Appropriate steps were taken when the allegations came to light. As the matter is before the courts, we cannot comment further at this time."
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