A 42-year-old Indian-origin singer in Singapore, Sivabalan Siva Prasad Menon, was fined SG $3,000 on Monday after pleading guilty to one count of molestation of a female freelance production crew member, according to a report.
The incident occurred in 2022 at the Mediacorp Campus in Stars Avenue after the victim reported for work on the production of a show where Menon was hired as a singer and dancer, The Straits Times reported.
Between 3 pm and 11:30 pm on the day of the incident, Menon consumed 10 to 15 cups of whisky.
After the show ended, when the lift arrived for the victim and her friend, Menon, intoxicated, walked out and grabbed the victim by her jaw, kissing her right cheek.
The victim, expressing her discomfort, tried to pull away, and her friend intervened, instructing Menon to leave.
The victim and her friend walked away and called for the next lift, noting Menon's alcohol odour as he left the area.
Distressed, the victim and her friend went to a room for production crew members, where she cried and hyperventilated.
Later that day, she alerted the police.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Teo stated that less than three seconds passed between Menon grabbing the victim's jaw and releasing her.
Menon was fined on February 5, with defense lawyer Kanthan Raghavendra emphasising that this was Menon's first encounter with the law. Raghavendra highlighted the fleeting nature of the contact, asserting that there was no intrusion into the victim's private parts.
The charges and sentencing took place with the woman's identity protected by a gag order, and details about the show and the exact date were not disclosed to shield her identity.
However, there is no such order protecting Menon's identity.
