Ex-S'pore Idol judge found not guilty of insulting woman's modesty

Judge finds that complainant is not a credible witness and had embellished her evidence

- Shaffiq Alkhatib

Former Singapore Idol judge Ken Lim, 60, was acquitted on Dec 11 of insulting a woman's modesty in an incident which happened 12 years ago.

Lim was then the executive director of record label Hype Records.

After a trial, District Judge Wong Peck found him not guilty of uttering sexually inappropriate words to the woman at Hype Records' premises in Henderson Road on July 25, 2012.

During the trial, the woman, who was 25 then and is now a singer-songwriter based overseas, accused Lim of asking her if she was a virgin. He was also accused of uttering the words: "What if I have sex with you right now?"

Details about the woman cannot be disclosed due to a gag order.

Delivering her verdict on Dec 11, the judge found that the complainant was not a credible witness and had embellished her evidence.

She noted that in the woman's first report to the authorities, she had stated that the "insulting words" had left her traumatized and uncomfortable. In court, the woman also claimed that she was traumatized, in a blur and was in "survival mode".

District Judge Wong said: "However, I found that she was not traumatized nor was she in a blur after (a second meeting with Lim).

"As rightly pointed out by the defense, after the alleged incident on the night itself, she replied in a cheerful tone to her fans, thanking them for their appreciation of her singing."