Mandatory treatment order for aesthetic doctor who harassed ex-girlfriend, abducted her off the street

SINGAPORE: An aesthetic doctor was sentenced to a 24-month mandatory treatment order on Thursday (Sep 4) for threatening to share his ex-girlfriend's intimate photos and abducting her off the street after their relationship soured.

Dr Chua Cheng Yu had pleaded guilty to four charges – the use of criminal force, causing intentional harassment, alarm and distress, voluntarily causing hurt, and unlawful restraint.

The 40-year-old met his victim in January 2021 when she started working at Veritas Medical Aesthetics, where he is still listed as a founder and doctor. In 2022, they entered into a romantic relationship that was plagued by repeated disagreements and quarrels, the court heard.

"Occasionally, they would break up before reconciling and getting back together," court documents said.

When he pleaded guilty earlier in August, the defence asked for a report on whether Dr Chua was suitable for a mandatory treatment order, which the prosecution did not object to.

In mitigation, Dr Chua's lawyer, Ms Joyce Khoo from Quahe Woo & Palmer, noted that her client was "sincerely remorseful for his actions" and "desperately hopes" that he would be granted the chance to rehabilitate and start afresh.

The defence also highlighted that Dr Chua suffered from major depressive disorder, noting that two psychiatrists said his condition contributed to his offending behaviour.

He has not contacted his former girlfriend since Mar 1, 2024, and made S$301.30 in voluntary compensation to her on Aug 15.

In giving him the mandatory treatment order, District Judge Eugene Teo stressed to Dr Chua that it was important that he continue with his treatment.

"I need to explain that if you fail in your obligation to try and treat yourself and to get better from what has happened, you may be brought back before me," said the judge, adding that in the worst-case scenario, the order may be revoked entirely.

"That would undo all your efforts to remediate all that has already happened and that would put your future in jeopardy," he said, adding that he hoped Dr Chua will find the motivation to go through with his treatment successfully.

FOUR VISITS, MULTIPLE ITEMS TAKEN

Two weeks before the first incident, Dr Chua's ex-girlfriend tendered her resignation from the clinic. The two had been going through a "rough patch" for the past two months and they had discussed possibly breaking up, the court heard.

At about 8pm on Apr 1, 2023, the woman heard someone ringing the doorbell of her home. She tried to look through the peephole but found that it was covered. As she opened the front door, Dr Chua forced his way into her home, pushing the front door and causing her to hit her back against the kitchen counter.

Once inside, Dr Chua started throwing items around her unit and a quarrel broke out because he suspected her of cheating on him.

While they were arguing, Dr Chua took his ex-girlfriend's laptop and hairdryer and tried to leave her home. The woman tried to stop him, which resulted in a scuffle.

Dr Chua held her by her arms and pushed her against one of the walls, causing her to hit her head. He left the unit and went to the basement car park of the property, where he had parked his car, while his ex-girlfriend pursued him to stop him from leaving with her laptop and hair dryer.

She failed to stop him and returned to her home.

At about 9pm, Dr Chua returned to her house, and she agreed to let him in because she thought she could persuade him to return her items.

Dr Chua asked his ex-girlfriend to reconsider her resignation and she did not reply, which caused him to become angry and accuse her of not doing her job properly while she was still working at the clinic.

He left the property and returned for a third time. Between 10pm and 11pm, Dr Chua and his ex-girlfriend started arguing, and he snatched her phone and the remote controller to the gate of where she lived, before going to his car.

The woman tried to stop him from leaving with her phone, causing another scuffle to break out between them in the basement car park.

Dr Chua pushed her and she fell backwards, hitting her head on the floor. He then drove off with her phone and remote controller.

At about midnight, Dr Chua contacted her and asked her to meet him at the lift lobby of her home so that he could return her phone to her. He asked her to exchange her house key for her phone, the court heard.

She met him at the lift lobby and gave him her house key. But after receiving the keys, Dr Chua did not return her phone to her and ran away instead. His ex-girlfriend gave chase but eventually lost sight of him.

The woman eventually called the police at about 3am on Apr 2. She was taken to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a minor head injury, as well as bruising and abrasions on her limbs, and given two days of hospitalisation leave.

On Apr 5, 2023, Dr Chua returned all the items to her except the hair dryer.

SENT THREATS THROUGH IN-GAME CHAT

On May 24 that same year, Dr Chua picked his ex-girlfriend up from where she was having dinner and drove her home at about 8pm. Upon reaching her place, he told her he wanted to secure their relationship – by leaving some of his items at her place and vice versa.

The woman refused his request and Dr Chua got angry. To defuse the situation, she left his car and returned home, while he stayed in his car.

After she went back home, he started messaging her on Telegram and called her multiple times. Some of the messages, sent about 30 minutes past midnight, read: "Where r u exactly", "WHERE", "YOU JUST WANT TO DRIVE ME MAD", "I’m going to come and bang at ur door", "And you can explain to your police and the whole family".

Dr Chua also tried to reach her via the in-game chat function of a mobile game called Call of Dragons, threatening to share her intimate photos if she did not pick up his calls.  

The woman grew scared when she saw him saying that he was going to "come and bang" at her door, and decided to call the police.

"A GUY HIT THE WOMAN AND PUSHED HER INSIDE THE CAR AND DROVE OFF"

Months later in September 2023, Dr Chua was arrested by the police at his ex-girlfriend's home for trespassing. He was released on bail on the condition that he did not commit any other offences while on bail.

By March 2024, the woman had left her job at the clinic and was working for another company. At about 9.30pm on Mar 1, 2024, she began receiving several calls from Dr Chua to her office, but she did not pick up.

She was not speaking to him as they were having "relationship issues" and she did not want to be in contact with him, the court heard.

Close to 10pm, she finished her work and decided to leave her office for home as the calls from Dr Chua had stopped. Believing that it was safe to leave her office, she exited the building and crossed the road, when he pulled up beside her in his car and called out to her.

Investigations found that Dr Chua had driven to her office building earlier in the evening to look for her. He exited his car and walked over to her, asking her to talk to him, and she told him to stop calling her.

Dr Chua began crying and begged her to get into the car, which she refused. He grew angry, grabbing her from behind in a bear hug and dragging her to the car against her will.

His ex-girlfriend struggled and tried to break free, but he had successfully restrained her. Eventually, Dr Chua managed to drag her to the car, shove her into the rear passenger seat and then drive off.

Several passersby witnessed this and called the police at 10pm. They said: "A guy hit the woman and pushed her inside the car and drove off."

As Dr Chua drove off, he told the woman that "this will end tonight" and blamed her for his behaviour. When he stopped at a traffic junction, she tried to climb out of the car to escape, but he pulled her back into the car before driving off.

The woman told Dr Chua that she wanted to feed her pets. He agreed and drove her home. While in the car, her phone rang, which made him angry. He took her phone and demanded her password so that he could access its contents, which she refused. 

While he was occupied with her phone, the woman took the opportunity to wind down the window and escape by climbing out of it, running back to her condominium.

Dr Chua chased and caught up with her. She was on the ground and shouting for help while he tried to drag her back to his car.

A security guard and the woman's neighbour heard the commotion and came out to see what had happened. The woman then ran to the security guard for assistance.

Dr Chua chased his victim but the security guard stopped him. He then went back to his car and drove off with his ex-girlfriend's belongings still inside.

The ordeal left his former girlfriend with a sternum fracture, a minor head injury, bruises and abrasions, the court heard.

After this incident, Dr Chua drove to Oasia Hotel Novena, where he was arrested hours later in the basement car park.