9 Years After Sexual Assault, Woman Wins Civil Suit Against Ex-Colleague at Mindef

She sought advice and pursued case after police decided not to take further action against him

- Samuel Devaraj

About nine years after she was sexually assaulted by her then colleague from the Ministry of Defence (Mindef), a woman won a suit against her assailant for battery.

The woman had sought legal advice and pursued the civil case after the police decided not to take further action against the man, whom she had dated.

She had filed a police report in 2021 over the 2016 incident.

According to a judgment dated May 23, the woman was awarded $45,000 in general damages, plus interest.

This consisted of $25,000 in compensation for pain and suffering and $20,000 for punitive damages.

She was also awarded $8,697.39 in special damages plus interest, an amount she claimed for medical and related expenses.

The Straits Times is not naming the claimant and defendant to protect the identity of the woman.

According to the claimant, she and her former colleague began a romantic relationship in June 2015, and they were sexually intimate.

While the man wished they could be open about their relationship, the woman asked to keep it secret as she had concerns, including about how their colleagues would perceive them.

The woman said she ended the relationship in December 2015.

While they agreed to remain friends, they still had feelings for each other and continued to hang out together.

According to the woman, the pair and other colleagues went to a club on July 10, 2016. The pair later shared a taxi to return to their homes as they were headed in the same direction.

On the ride home, they became physically intimate, and the woman invited the man over to her place for sex.