SINGAPORE: A man is accused of raping an inebriated work acquaintance at her home after a dinner to celebrate their shared birthdays.
Jasper Lee Loong Kuan, 36, claimed trial to one charge of rape on Thursday (Sep 18) at the High Court.
The woman cannot be named due to a gag order protecting her identity. Her details were redacted from court documents, including her age and the company she worked for.
Opening the trial on Thursday, the prosecution, represented by Deputy Public Prosecutors Sarah Siaw and Jocelyn Teo, said that Lee and the alleged victim knew each other through work.
The woman began working as a customer service officer for a company in 2008, and was responsible for liaising with shippers over export shipments. She came to know Lee, a managing director of his company, as he was a client.
After around four years, the woman left her company but rejoined in February 2020. As Lee was still a client, the woman would contact him from time to time.
As they shared the same birthday, the pair agreed to meet for dinner to celebrate.
In September 2021, they met at about 5.40pm at a restaurant in VivoCity shopping mall, where they ordered food. They each had a glass of red wine. Lee also ordered two bottles of red wine, which they finished during the meal.
When the woman began to feel intoxicated, she told Lee she wanted to go home. He offered to send her.
The pair left the restaurant at about 8.35pm, stopping at the washroom before heading to Lee's car. The prosecution said it would submit closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the restaurant that showed the victim exhibiting signs of intoxication after dinner, such as disorientation and an unsteady gait.
During the 35-minute drive, a front-facing dashboard camera captured the route as well as audio from within the car. The prosecution will also rely on this evidence to show that the victim continued to show signs of intoxication during the car ride, including vomiting and slurring.
After the car reached the open-air car park near the victim's home, Lee helped her to the lift.
CCTV and police camera footage showed that the woman remained unsteady on her feet and had to be supported by Lee at about 9.23pm.
The alleged victim is expected to testify that Lee followed her into the unit, then patted her back as she tried to vomit into the toilet bowl.
According to her, she went to her bedroom to lie down. As she was drifting in and out of consciousness, she became aware of Lee on top of her. She allegedly tried to push him away but was too weak to do so.
CCTV and police camera footage will show that Lee left the unit at about 9.50pm.
At around the same time, the woman called the police.
"The prosecution will also admit the audio recording of the '999' call, in which the victim’s distress after the rape is clearly audible," the prosecution said.
The woman then allegedly sent a message to Lee stating, "You are too much", minutes later.
Police officers responding to the call arrived at the woman's unit at about 10.05pm. They found her crouching behind the door, undressed. She told officers that she had been raped by Lee.
Body-worn camera footage of the incident, with the victim redacted, will be submitted to the court.
The woman was later examined in hospital. She also provided urine and blood samples between 4am and 5am.
Her blood specimen was found to contain 82mg per 100ml of ethanol.
The prosecution will be calling 31 witnesses. It will also have a senior consultant from the Institute of Mental Health testify that the victim's state of intoxication rendered her incapable of consenting to sex.
"The prosecution’s case is that the victim lacked capacity to consent at the material time due to alcohol intoxication and that, even if she had such capacity, she did not in fact give consent," the prosecution said in court documents.
It is also expected to tender a conditioned statement from the bar manager of the restaurant on the type and alcohol concentration of wine served.
Lee is represented by lawyers Gregory Fong and Johnathan Lee. His defence will be that the victim had consented to the act, or that he was mistaken as to her consent, according to court documents.
A forensic pathologist took the witness stand on Thursday to give evidence as to the woman's likely blood alcohol level when she arrived at her block, and about the symptoms she exhibited.
He will undergo cross-examination by the defence when the trial resumes at a later date.
If convicted of rape, Lee may be jailed for up to 20 years, fined, or caned.
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Jasper Lee Loong Kuan, 36, claimed trial to one charge of rape on Thursday (Sep 18) at the High Court.
The woman cannot be named due to a gag order protecting her identity. Her details were redacted from court documents, including her age and the company she worked for.
Opening the trial on Thursday, the prosecution, represented by Deputy Public Prosecutors Sarah Siaw and Jocelyn Teo, said that Lee and the alleged victim knew each other through work.
The woman began working as a customer service officer for a company in 2008, and was responsible for liaising with shippers over export shipments. She came to know Lee, a managing director of his company, as he was a client.
After around four years, the woman left her company but rejoined in February 2020. As Lee was still a client, the woman would contact him from time to time.
As they shared the same birthday, the pair agreed to meet for dinner to celebrate.
In September 2021, they met at about 5.40pm at a restaurant in VivoCity shopping mall, where they ordered food. They each had a glass of red wine. Lee also ordered two bottles of red wine, which they finished during the meal.
When the woman began to feel intoxicated, she told Lee she wanted to go home. He offered to send her.
The pair left the restaurant at about 8.35pm, stopping at the washroom before heading to Lee's car. The prosecution said it would submit closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the restaurant that showed the victim exhibiting signs of intoxication after dinner, such as disorientation and an unsteady gait.
During the 35-minute drive, a front-facing dashboard camera captured the route as well as audio from within the car. The prosecution will also rely on this evidence to show that the victim continued to show signs of intoxication during the car ride, including vomiting and slurring.
After the car reached the open-air car park near the victim's home, Lee helped her to the lift.
CCTV and police camera footage showed that the woman remained unsteady on her feet and had to be supported by Lee at about 9.23pm.
The alleged victim is expected to testify that Lee followed her into the unit, then patted her back as she tried to vomit into the toilet bowl.
According to her, she went to her bedroom to lie down. As she was drifting in and out of consciousness, she became aware of Lee on top of her. She allegedly tried to push him away but was too weak to do so.
CCTV and police camera footage will show that Lee left the unit at about 9.50pm.
At around the same time, the woman called the police.
"The prosecution will also admit the audio recording of the '999' call, in which the victim’s distress after the rape is clearly audible," the prosecution said.
The woman then allegedly sent a message to Lee stating, "You are too much", minutes later.
Police officers responding to the call arrived at the woman's unit at about 10.05pm. They found her crouching behind the door, undressed. She told officers that she had been raped by Lee.
Body-worn camera footage of the incident, with the victim redacted, will be submitted to the court.
The woman was later examined in hospital. She also provided urine and blood samples between 4am and 5am.
Her blood specimen was found to contain 82mg per 100ml of ethanol.
The prosecution will be calling 31 witnesses. It will also have a senior consultant from the Institute of Mental Health testify that the victim's state of intoxication rendered her incapable of consenting to sex.
"The prosecution’s case is that the victim lacked capacity to consent at the material time due to alcohol intoxication and that, even if she had such capacity, she did not in fact give consent," the prosecution said in court documents.
It is also expected to tender a conditioned statement from the bar manager of the restaurant on the type and alcohol concentration of wine served.
Lee is represented by lawyers Gregory Fong and Johnathan Lee. His defence will be that the victim had consented to the act, or that he was mistaken as to her consent, according to court documents.
A forensic pathologist took the witness stand on Thursday to give evidence as to the woman's likely blood alcohol level when she arrived at her block, and about the symptoms she exhibited.
He will undergo cross-examination by the defence when the trial resumes at a later date.
If convicted of rape, Lee may be jailed for up to 20 years, fined, or caned.
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