Man jailed for molesting temperature screener he was supervising
Before stroking the victim's calf, the supervisor made sexually harassing comments such as telling her that construction workers stopped work to watch her.
File photo of temperature screening. (Photo: iStock)
SINGAPORE: A supervisor sexually harassed and molested a subordinate who was hired during the COVID-19 pandemic to screen employees' temperatures at an office building.
The 60-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the victim's identity, was sentenced to nine weeks' jail on Tuesday (Dec 13).
He pleaded guilty to one count of molestation, with another three charges taken into consideration.
The court heard that the man was the victim's supervisor. The victim, who was 26, worked part-time as a temperature screener at an office building.
They began working together in June 2020 and had daily conversations on topics such as spiritual philosophy, court documents stated.
The offender began sending messages to the victim, calling her "baby girl" and telling her that he missed her.
On Jul 14, 2020, the victim began work at about 7am. The offender reached the office at about noon.
The victim observed that the man appeared to be inebriated, although she was unsure what type of substance he had consumed.
During the day, the victim noticed the offender staring intently at her.
The offender later told her that several construction workers had stopped working to watch her, because she was "very beautiful" and had a "nice body figure".
The victim did not respond, because she felt uncomfortable. She sat down at her workstation, and the offender touched her hair.
The victim asked him if he needed anything, and he said no.
The offender then poked her thigh with his finger and asked why she was shaking her legs.
The victim thought it was inappropriate to shake her legs at work, and that it was okay for the offender as her supervisor to ask her about it.
She rolled up her pants to show the offender her calf and explained that she had varicose veins. If her legs remained still for too long, she would have cramps, she said.
Her supervisor then stroked her calf and told her she had smooth skin.
The victim froze and looked away.
She felt upset about the touch and told her family about what happened. They advised her to report the issue to the police.
She also told her company about it and asked if the man could be deployed elsewhere as she felt unsafe at work.
The offender was deployed to another work site, but returned to the victim's site after a few weeks.
The victim later lodged a police report.
BACKDROP OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT: PROSECUTOR
The prosecutor sought eight weeks' jail, saying the accused had molested his subordinate against a backdrop of sexual harassment. The offender had previous convictions for offences like drug consumption and disorderly behaviour.
Deterrence was especially relevant in sexual offences committed at the workplace by superiors against their subordinates, as subordinates may be wary of speaking out against their superiors, said the prosecutor.
While the degree of sexual exploitation was low, there was a power imbalance as the accused was the victim's supervisor, said the prosecutor.
The victim had rolled up her pants only because she thought that shaking her legs was frowned on at work and wanted to explain her actions to the accused, he added.
