Businessman molests potential employee 5 times in office and taxi, pays her $200 'salary'

A 47-year-old businessman was sentenced to eight months' jail on Monday (Jun 18) after being found guilty of five counts of molestation last month.

The Singapore permanent resident, Md Gias Uddin Sarker, was convicted following an eight-day trial, reports The Straits Times.

Gias was showing a potential employee how to use computer software when he proclaimed his love for his wife and said that he was not interested in "hot sex".

Gias later on, however, paid the woman a $200 "salary" for the day after molesting her four times at his Woodlands Link office, which left her "frozen, stunned and scared".

Deputy Public Prosecutor Kavita Uthrapathy said that the 28-year-old victim, who cannot be named, had found out about the job vacancy through her sister, and her mother had told her that Gias was "trustworthy" and a "very good man".

The woman had contacted Gias, a Bangladeshi, on Nov 19, 2015, and the two met at Yishun MRT station at around 2.30pm the following day.

The victim testified that there was no one in the office besides them when they arrived, and that he later sat beside her so he could show her how to make entries to worker payroll timesheets on a computer.

DPP Kavita said: "The accused then spoke to the victim about his personal life - how he loved his wife and kids very much and how he was not looking for 'hot sex' like other men and told her that he would give her extra money, cosmetics and good clothes on top of her salary. The accused also asked the victim about her husband's pay. The victim asked if he did this for all of his staff and he replied, 'no, just for you'."

He then molested the woman, which left her feeling "frozen", "stunned" and "scared". The court heard that she had wanted to run away, but decided against it because she feared the possibility of Gias turning violent and doing "worse things to her".

After that, Gias molested the victim three more times before giving her $200, claiming that it was her salary for the day.

He molested her for the fifth time when they boarded a taxi, after he told her not to divulge what happened. He later alighted before the woman headed home.

The victim then informed her husband and sister of her ordeal before making a police report on Nov 21, 2015. Gias was arrested two days later.

Gias, who was represented by lawyer Peter Keith Fernando, denied molesting the housewife. He claimed that he was embroiled in the offences by the woman and her husband because of a financial dispute.

The court heard that Gias intends to appeal against his conviction and sentence. He is now out on bail for $10,000.