Man 'falls', then molests women
Jail for man who preyed on women's kindness
Whenever he saw a pretty woman, he would pretend to fall and hurt himself.
When the woman went to his aid, the engineer would take the opportunity to molest her.
For his devious acts, Tan Keng Leng, 35, was yesterday sentenced to eight months' jail.
He had pleaded guilty to two counts of molest while another similar charge was taken into consideration. None of the victims can be named to protect their identities.
A District Court heard that on Aug 24, 2013, at about 10.40pm, Tan spotted a woman, who was heading home.
They entered the lift and as he was getting out at the fourth storey, he suddenly fell and told the woman he had sprained his ankle.
Concerned, she offered to help him to a chair near the lift landing.
He placed his left hand on her left shoulder and his right hand on her right shoulder.
As they were walking to the chair, she felt Tan's right hand on her breast. His hand then moved to the middle of her bra and he held on to it despite the woman shouting for him to let go.
At the chair, he even tried to pull her to sit on his lap, but she jumped up, ran to the lift and fled.
FOLLOWED HER HOME
Tan struck again on Dec 19 last year.
He tailed a woman at White Sands shopping centre, boarded a bus with her, and then followed her to a lift in the block she lives in.
He did his falling act again and the woman helped Tan out of the lift by taking his right hand and placing it on her shoulder.
As they were walking out, Tan touched her breast with his left hand.
Assistant Public Prosecutor Daniel Marini said Tan's modus operandi of following women home and molesting them was "akin to a predator stalking his prey".
He added that Tan's ruse of pretending to fall and then "exploiting the kindness of his victims" were aggravating factors.
During sentencing, District Judge Lim Tse Haw said: "A stern message has to be sent that such offences cannot be tolerated."
Otherwise, fewer people may be inclined to help others for fear of being similarly tricked, he said.
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