Indian-origin singer fined for molesting woman in Singapore

Singapore, Feb 5 (IANS) A 42-year-old Indian-origin singer in Singapore has been fined SG$ 3,000 for molesting a female production crew member in a drunken stupor in 2022.

Sivabalan Siva Prasad Menon, who had consumed between 10 and 15 cups of whisky on the day of the incident, pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of molestation.

Two other charges, including one more molestation charge, were considered during sentencing, The Straits Times newspaper reported.

On the day of the incident, the victim reported at the Mediacorp Campus in Stars Avenue at around 11 a.m. to work on the production of a show that had hired Menon as a singer and dancer.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Teo told the court that Menon, who was also present at the venue, had downed up to 15 cups of whisky between 3 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

The victim and a friend were waiting for the lift after the show ended, and when it arrived, Menon walked out of the lift and grabbed the victim by her jaw, kissing her cheek.

The victim while trying to pull away told Menon that she did not like being treated in such a manner, following which her friend intervened and asked Menon to leave.

Teo told the court that after Menon left the vicinity, the victim cried and hyperventilated because she felt stressed by the incident. She alerted the police later that day.

Menon's lawyer told the court that the incident was Menon's first brush with the law and that the contact between the two was fleeting, lasting less than three seconds.

For molestation, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined, caned, or receive any combination of such punishments.