Student sneaks into woman's room to molest her after getting aroused from hearing flatmates have sex

Ronald Loh
The New Paper
June 23, 2016

Feeling aroused after hearing a fellow tenant having sex in the next bedroom, he snuck into another female tenant's room and molested her.

Yesterday, Zhang Tao, 27, a Chinese national who was studying here, was jailed seven months for outraging the woman's modesty.

Zhang, who was an undergraduate at Singapore Accountancy Academy, rented a bedroom at a condominium in the eastern part of Singapore.

The victim, who cannot be named due to a gag order to protect her identity, rented another bedroom in the same apartment with her husband.

On April 25, the couple went out for supper and returned to their room at about 3.20am.

But the husband was unable to sleep so he went out for coffee 10 minutes later.

His wife went to sleep in a T-shirt and underwear, and left her room door closed but unlocked.

At about 4.20am, Zhang sneaked into her room and stroked her inner thigh and private parts.

The woman woke up shocked and demanded to know what he was doing in her room. Zhang kept quiet and left her room after she ordered him to do so.

The woman then phoned her husband, who rushed back and confronted Zhang. The police were called.

AROUSED

Zhang later told the authorities he had become aroused after overhearing another tenant having sex in another room.

He said he knew the victim was alone in her room, having seen her husband leave the apartment.

Yesterday, he admitted to one count of molest, with a charge of criminal trespass taken into consideration for sentencing.

Zhang's lawyer, Mr Teo Choo Kee, said in mitigation that his client had been studying here for about four years.

He added that Zhang was feeling lonely and had succumbed to a moment of weakness, and was not in control of his senses or impulses.

Zhang, whose sentence was backdated to April 26, could have been jailed up to two years, with a fine and caning.