Court Explains Why It Found Man and His Lover Not Guilty of Sex Crimes

A judge in Singapore explained why he found a man and his lover not guilty of sex crimes against the lover's daughter.

The prosecution is now appealing this decision.

The man, 75, and the woman, 66, went on trial in 2021 for sex crimes.

The man faced 15 charges, and the woman faced 13 charges, mostly for working with her lover to commit sex abuse.

The prosecution said the woman worked with her lover to abuse her daughter.

The judge found the pair not guilty of all charges in September 2025.

The judge said he found them not guilty because the daughter's story was not consistent and there was reasonable doubt.

The daughter was the youngest of four children and lived with her family in a flat.

Her mother took her to the man's clinic at a temple for massages.

The prosecution said the man and the daughter's mother abused the daughter at home after the temple clinic closed.

The man was accused of abusing the daughter from 2012 to 2017 under the guise of treating her health issues.

The prosecution said the man abused the daughter during ritual showers to cleanse her of evil spirits from 2017.

The couple was also accused of showing the daughter porn and having sex in front of her.

The daughter, now 25, reported the abuse to the police in 2017.

The judge first looked at the charges of the man abusing the daughter during massages.

The judge said the prosecution did not prove the man abused the daughter from 2012 to 2014 because there was no massage bed at the flat until 2013.

A witness said he delivered the massage bed to the flat in September or October 2013.

The judge believed the witness because he remembered the delivery was around the time the temple celebrated a deity's birthday.

The judge said the renovations at the temple in 2013 meant the man's clinic had to close, supporting the witness's story.

The woman also said the massage bed was delivered to the flat in October 2013.

Another witness said he saw the massage bed being loaded onto a truck around the same time.

The judge said the man stopped working at the temple in 2013 due to renovations, which supported the story that the massage bed was delivered to the flat then.

The prosecution said the man could have given the massage bed to his lover earlier, but the judge did not believe this.

The judge said there was strong evidence that the massage bed was delivered to the flat in September or October 2013.

The judge said the daughter's story about when the abuse started was not consistent.

The judge said the daughter was unsure when the massages started at her flat.

The judge had to consider if the daughter's story was convincing because she was the only one telling it.

However, the judge found her story was not convincing.

The daughter said the massages started in 2011, but she could not remember the exact year during cross-examination.

The judge said the daughter's story about the massages was inconsistent and contradicted her earlier statements.

The daughter said the massages started after her grandmother died in January 2012.

The judge found the man not guilty of the massage abuse charges from 2012 to 2014.

The judge gave the man the benefit of doubt for the remaining massage abuse charges.

The prosecution said the man admitted to abusing the daughter, but the man said there was a misunderstanding during questioning.

The man said he used his finger to clean the daughter, not to abuse her.

The judge believed the man's explanation and said the daughter's story was not convincing.

The judge said the daughter did not see the man abuse her and only felt something.

The judge said the daughter's story about the ritual showers was inconsistent.

The judge found the man not guilty of the ritual shower abuse charges.

The man said he could not have abused the daughter during the ritual showers because the bathroom was small and the mother was nearby.

The judge believed the man's explanation and said the daughter's story was not convincing.

The judge said the daughter's story about the molestation charges was also not convincing.

The daughter said one incident happened when she was in primary school, but later said it was in secondary school.

The judge found the man not guilty of the molestation charges.

The man was also accused of teaching the daughter a traditional Chinese massage technique called 'juagen'.

The judge said what was disputed was when the 'juagen' incidents happened and why the man taught the daughter.

The prosecution said the 'juagen' sessions were for a sexual purpose, but the judge was not convinced.

The judge said the charges were under a law that protected children and young people under 16.

The man said the 'juagen' incidents happened after the daughter turned 16.

The judge found the man not guilty of the 'juagen' charges.

The judge said the daughter's story about the 'juagen' incidents was not convincing.

The daughter said the 'juagen' sessions happened in 2015, 2016, and 2017, but her story did not withstand cross-examination.

The judge said the daughter's story about the man showing her porn was also not convincing.

The man said the daughter accessed porn on his phone, but the daughter said the man showed it to her.

The judge said there was conflicting evidence and he could not prefer the daughter's story over the man's.

The mother said the man showed her daughter a pornographic film to educate her.

The judge found the man not guilty of the pornography charge.

The judge also found the woman not guilty of conspiring with the man to commit sex crimes.

The woman faced a charge of showing her daughter porn in 2011.

The prosecution said the daughter's story should be believed over her mother's because the mother's story was inconsistent.

The mother said she showed her daughter porn for educational purposes when the daughter was in secondary school.

The judge said the woman's story was inconsistent, and he could not conclude that the charge was proven.

The judge found the woman not guilty of the charge.

The man was represented by lawyers Charles Ng and Edwin Lee, and the woman was represented by lawyers Renee Oei and Stephanie Looi.

The prosecution will appeal the decision at a later date.

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