Former Singapore Idol judge Ken Lim found guilty of molesting 25-year-old woman at Hype Records office

SINGAPORE: Former Singapore Idol judge Ken Lim Chih Chiang was convicted on Friday (Sep 26) of molesting a 25-year-old woman during an interview at Hype Records in 2021.

Lim, 61, had contested the charge in what was the second of five trials slated for him. He was earlier acquitted of making sexual comments to an aspiring songwriter in 2012.

Principal District Judge Lee Lit Cheng found the woman in the molestation accusation to be a truthful witness, while Lim was "untruthful".

She said Lim's "emphatic denials" in court about what he stated in his police statement demonstrate that "he is an unreliable witness willing to make bald claims to defend his own interest".

She rejected the defence's argument that it would have required "a lot of contortion" for Lim's hand to reach in and touch the victim's breast in the position she described.

The judge saw no doubt as to how Lim was able to do so, given that the pair was kissing in close proximity at Lim's request.

The judge said the repeated narration of the incident by the victim to her boyfriend and her friends does not add weight to the contents of the allegations, but neither do the lack of details or inconsistencies in her boyfriend's and friends' testimonies cast any doubt on the veracity of the victim's evidence.

This is because victims of sexual assault do not necessarily disclose details of the offence when confiding in others, and the testimonies of the witnesses were affected by their own recollection of what the victim had said to them.

"I find (the victim) to be a truthful witness who did not attempt to embellish her testimony," said Judge Lee.

Conversely, she found Lim to be an "untruthful witness".

She gave an example of how he claimed that a statement he gave to the police was inaccurate, but that he had signed it because the recording officer had promised him that there would be a subsequent meeting to address the accuracy and contents of the entire statement.

The officer also purportedly told Lim that a further statement would be recorded from him in two weeks' time.

The judge found that Lim had fabricated these allegations because two officers present during the recording had refuted his statement, and because Lim had made numerous handwritten amendments to his statement, showing that he was able to and did amend it.

Lastly, Lim's legal counsel sent numerous letters to the investigating officers and there was no mention of the alleged promise to record a further statement, nor any request for one to be recorded, said Judge Lee.

"It is evident that the accused had belatedly fabricated the allegations," she said.

She said parts of Lim's police statement that contradicted his court testimony but aligned with the victim's testimony include: Lim touching the victim's lower back, sending her a message saying he would tie her up, calling the victim "babe" and dimming the lights during the third interview.

This was when the molestation occurred.

While these words and actions do not in themselves prove the charge, the judge said Lim's emphatic denials in court demonstrated that he was an "unreliable witness willing to make bald claims to defend his own interest".

She rejected the defence's argument that the victim had been angry at the third meeting when an immediate offer was not made to her, and that she believed being embroiled in a scandal was another way of gaining fame.

The judge said there was no evidence to support this.

AT TRIAL

During the trial, the victim had testified in private.

However, details of what she said to her friends were aired in open court. For example, the court heard that the victim claimed Lim had told her he had been accused of sexual misconduct several times before but got away with it.

The victim's then-boyfriend testified that she was very quiet after the molestation and kept to herself.

When she eventually told him, the couple discussed what to do next and later reported Lim to the police, submitting screenshots of the victim's Telegram messages with Lim.

However, some exchanges took place in a secret chat on Telegram, which cannot be forwarded and have a self-destruct timer.

According to the prosecution's case, the victim was actively building up her social media presence in 2021, posting her art on social media and venturing into being an influencer and model.

In early November 2021, she received a message on Instagram from someone from Hype Records, saying the company wanted to explore potential collaborations with her.

She then met Lim for three interviews in November 2021, with the molestation occurring on the third occasion.

The woman had testified that Lim had spoken to her about her relationships during the first meeting, asking her to delete any nudes or revealing photos her previous partners might have taken.

She said he mentioned that other artistes or trainees had previously tried to sue him for being inappropriate to them.

During the second meeting on Nov 18, 2021, the victim said Lim spoke about whether she would perform a sex act on a director but assured her this would not actually happen, and that it was about whether she was able to switch to "performance mode" under pressure if she had to.

The molestation occurred during the third interview at the Hype Records office in Henderson Road on Nov 23, 2021.

Lim tested her by asking her to kiss him and she complied but made a disgusted face after, she said.

Lim then said she should not make such a face and asked her to kiss him again, passionately, said the victim.

When the victim kissed Lim, Lim groped her before removing his hand.

The victim was shocked and pulled away. She claimed Lim asked what else she would like to do with him, but she refused and said it was against her morals.

She then left.

Lim was represented by a team of lawyers from WongPartnership, led by Senior Counsel Tan Chee Meng.

When Lim took the stand in his own defence, he said the woman's description of how he had groped her was "awkward to impossible".

He also said that he had been in the business for decades, and that "if I was so ridiculous, I won't be where I am today".

The defence argued that the victim's evidence was "incredulous, unsupported by the persons whom she had told of the alleged incident, and even contradicted their testimonies".

They said the victim behaved "entirely normally" just moments after the incident and later "exaggerated her account".

The lawyers also urged the court to dismiss the charge and acquit Lim, saying that "nothing can make up for the pain and trauma" Lim and his family have been put through since 2021, but a public acquittal would "at least serve the ends of justice, and be some measure of long-overdue vindication" for Lim.

Lim attended the hearing with his loved ones.

When he heard the guilty verdict, he shook his head in the dock.

The judge adjourned the case for mitigation and sentencing to Nov 18.

For outrage of modesty, Lim could be jailed for up to two years or fined. He cannot be caned as he is above the age of 50.