SINGAPORE: An office-bearer of the Law Society of Singapore has sparked an online backlash on LinkedIn following a post on the criminal case of a former Wah!Banana actor convicted of sexual assault.
Lawyer Chia Boon Teck, the vice-president of the Law Society, commented on the high-profile case involving Lev Panfilov in a social media post over the weekend, but his words have drawn criticism from the legal fraternity, with lawyers describing his comments as victim-shaming.
Mr Chia, who was not the defence lawyer for Panfilov's case, has since taken down the post and clarified his comments in a response to CNA.
Panfilov, a Singapore permanent resident from Russia, was convicted by a High Court judge last Friday (Mar 21) for raping, molesting and sexually assaulting a woman he met through Tinder on Jan 12, 2021.
Panfilov met the victim at a Wine Connection restaurant on the day of the offence before the pair returned to his room, where he sexually assaulted her. Panfilov has yet to be sentenced for the crimes.
Issuing the guilty verdict on Friday, Justice Pang Khang Chau said that the victim had been an "unusually convincing" witness, although he noted that her testimony was "not without difficulty". He cited several points in support of this, but ultimately found that there were reasonable explanations.
Mr Chia, who is the co-managing director of law firm Chia Wong Chambers, commented on the case in a LinkedIn post, saying that many questions arose from a media report on it he had read. While the original post is no longer available, it has been shared in screenshots by other LinkedIn users.
"People who indulge in one night stands may wanna take note to protect themselves from attack, or accusations of attack," Mr Chia said in his original post.
Mr Chia then went on to list 10 points from the report, each followed by his comments. In one point, he noted the four charges Panfilov was convicted of and stated: "Wow. Was she awake throughout the marathon?"
In another, Mr Chia cited the victim's age and her occupation as an actress and model, adding: "So not exactly a babe in the woods?"
He also noted how the victim had "hoped to get some advice on script-writing from (Panfilov)" and commented: "At that late hour on the bed of a Russian man she just met in Tinder?"
His comments have drawn ire from prominent lawyers, including Ms Stefanie Yuen Thio, who is joint managing partner at TSMP Law Corporation. Ms Thio criticised Mr Chia's comments in a strongly worded LinkedIn post, saying that the issue went beyond "just comment on a criminal case".
Ms Thio likened Mr Chia's comments to victim-shaming, which she said "goes against what the courts have actually said is appropriate cross-examination".
"I'm appalled at this attitude from an individual who holds the office of a leader of the Bar. I invite him to explain himself to the legal fraternity - both men and women. Absent an acceptable explanation, he should step down from Council of the Law Society," she added.
Other prominent lawyers, including criminal lawyer Shashi Nathan from Withers KhattarWong and litigator Clarence Lun from Fervent Chambers, have responded to her post echoing similar sentiments. Some have called for an apology and for Mr Chia to step down from his Law Society post.
According to his profile on his law firm’s web page, Mr Chia has been the vice-president of the Law Society since August 2023, and was treasurer prior to that.
Responding to queries from CNA, the Law Society said it was aware of the social media post by Mr Chia and is reviewing the matter.
Mr Chia responded to queries from CNA on Monday morning, saying that his original post was meant to draw people's attention to their situational awareness and not to cast blame on any party.
He said that the media report he read on the case "raised many red-flag situations" that happened between the victim and Panfilov during the night of the offence.
“My post was to draw people’s attention to their situational awareness to guard against being assaulted, or being accused of assaulting. I was sharing my views as a criminal lawyer,” he said.
“I have always been providing commentary for crime cases and providing insights on how to prevent such situations as legal recourse may not always be sufficient."
He added that he appreciated the perspectives shared regarding his post.
“As a criminal lawyer, my intent was not to cast blame on any party, but to highlight the importance of situational awareness - both to guard against being assaulted and to avoid actions that could later be misconstrued.
“My comments were meant to encourage reflection on how individuals can better protect themselves in social situations. This is not about shifting responsibility but about understanding real-world risks.”
The Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) condemned Mr Chia’s comments in a Facebook post on Monday, stating: “When a senior lawyer mocks a rape survivor, it isn’t just offensive. It’s dangerous.”
Referring to the same points Mr Chia made, the women’s rights group said none of these factors were consent to sex.
“The real harm here isn’t just the mocking tone of the commentary. It’s the fact that even when a High Court judge finds a survivor ‘unusually convincing’ after 13 days of cross-examination, she will still be publicly doubted, dissected, and discredited. That her job, age, and dating history are fair game. That saying ‘no’ wasn’t enough,” the group said in its post.
The group added that it heard from survivors every day at its Sexual Assault Care Centre, with victims grappling with whether to report their ordeal, and eventually seven out of 10 victims choose not to.
"The most common reason is the fear of disbelief ... When those in senior legal positions echo these views, it perpetuates the victim-blaming mentality that we need to eradicate. It affects how people see the justice system. It affects whether survivors come forward to seek justice," the group said.
“This isn’t just bad for survivors. It’s bad for public trust in the justice system. We can’t afford messages like these anywhere — especially not from people in power. No woman should have to defend her character, her clothing, her profession, or her dating history when she has been sexually assaulted. Rape is a crime. Let’s stop blaming the victim for being raped."
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Lawyer Chia Boon Teck, the vice-president of the Law Society, commented on the high-profile case involving Lev Panfilov in a social media post over the weekend, but his words have drawn criticism from the legal fraternity, with lawyers describing his comments as victim-shaming.
Mr Chia, who was not the defence lawyer for Panfilov's case, has since taken down the post and clarified his comments in a response to CNA.
Panfilov, a Singapore permanent resident from Russia, was convicted by a High Court judge last Friday (Mar 21) for raping, molesting and sexually assaulting a woman he met through Tinder on Jan 12, 2021.
Panfilov met the victim at a Wine Connection restaurant on the day of the offence before the pair returned to his room, where he sexually assaulted her. Panfilov has yet to be sentenced for the crimes.
Issuing the guilty verdict on Friday, Justice Pang Khang Chau said that the victim had been an "unusually convincing" witness, although he noted that her testimony was "not without difficulty". He cited several points in support of this, but ultimately found that there were reasonable explanations.
Mr Chia, who is the co-managing director of law firm Chia Wong Chambers, commented on the case in a LinkedIn post, saying that many questions arose from a media report on it he had read. While the original post is no longer available, it has been shared in screenshots by other LinkedIn users.
"People who indulge in one night stands may wanna take note to protect themselves from attack, or accusations of attack," Mr Chia said in his original post.
Mr Chia then went on to list 10 points from the report, each followed by his comments. In one point, he noted the four charges Panfilov was convicted of and stated: "Wow. Was she awake throughout the marathon?"
In another, Mr Chia cited the victim's age and her occupation as an actress and model, adding: "So not exactly a babe in the woods?"
He also noted how the victim had "hoped to get some advice on script-writing from (Panfilov)" and commented: "At that late hour on the bed of a Russian man she just met in Tinder?"
His comments have drawn ire from prominent lawyers, including Ms Stefanie Yuen Thio, who is joint managing partner at TSMP Law Corporation. Ms Thio criticised Mr Chia's comments in a strongly worded LinkedIn post, saying that the issue went beyond "just comment on a criminal case".
Ms Thio likened Mr Chia's comments to victim-shaming, which she said "goes against what the courts have actually said is appropriate cross-examination".
"I'm appalled at this attitude from an individual who holds the office of a leader of the Bar. I invite him to explain himself to the legal fraternity - both men and women. Absent an acceptable explanation, he should step down from Council of the Law Society," she added.
Other prominent lawyers, including criminal lawyer Shashi Nathan from Withers KhattarWong and litigator Clarence Lun from Fervent Chambers, have responded to her post echoing similar sentiments. Some have called for an apology and for Mr Chia to step down from his Law Society post.
According to his profile on his law firm’s web page, Mr Chia has been the vice-president of the Law Society since August 2023, and was treasurer prior to that.
Responding to queries from CNA, the Law Society said it was aware of the social media post by Mr Chia and is reviewing the matter.
MR CHIA RESPONDS
Mr Chia responded to queries from CNA on Monday morning, saying that his original post was meant to draw people's attention to their situational awareness and not to cast blame on any party.
He said that the media report he read on the case "raised many red-flag situations" that happened between the victim and Panfilov during the night of the offence.
“My post was to draw people’s attention to their situational awareness to guard against being assaulted, or being accused of assaulting. I was sharing my views as a criminal lawyer,” he said.
“I have always been providing commentary for crime cases and providing insights on how to prevent such situations as legal recourse may not always be sufficient."
He added that he appreciated the perspectives shared regarding his post.
“As a criminal lawyer, my intent was not to cast blame on any party, but to highlight the importance of situational awareness - both to guard against being assaulted and to avoid actions that could later be misconstrued.
“My comments were meant to encourage reflection on how individuals can better protect themselves in social situations. This is not about shifting responsibility but about understanding real-world risks.”
AWARE WEIGHS IN
The Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) condemned Mr Chia’s comments in a Facebook post on Monday, stating: “When a senior lawyer mocks a rape survivor, it isn’t just offensive. It’s dangerous.”
Referring to the same points Mr Chia made, the women’s rights group said none of these factors were consent to sex.
“The real harm here isn’t just the mocking tone of the commentary. It’s the fact that even when a High Court judge finds a survivor ‘unusually convincing’ after 13 days of cross-examination, she will still be publicly doubted, dissected, and discredited. That her job, age, and dating history are fair game. That saying ‘no’ wasn’t enough,” the group said in its post.
The group added that it heard from survivors every day at its Sexual Assault Care Centre, with victims grappling with whether to report their ordeal, and eventually seven out of 10 victims choose not to.
"The most common reason is the fear of disbelief ... When those in senior legal positions echo these views, it perpetuates the victim-blaming mentality that we need to eradicate. It affects how people see the justice system. It affects whether survivors come forward to seek justice," the group said.
“This isn’t just bad for survivors. It’s bad for public trust in the justice system. We can’t afford messages like these anywhere — especially not from people in power. No woman should have to defend her character, her clothing, her profession, or her dating history when she has been sexually assaulted. Rape is a crime. Let’s stop blaming the victim for being raped."
Continue reading...