Singaporean Surgeon Sentenced to Jail for Molesting Patient During Medical Procedure
A former Singaporean surgeon was sentenced to one week in jail on Tuesday, january 27, after being convicted of molesting a 20-year-old woman on an operating table. The court has issued a gag order protecting the victim’s identity and preventing the disclosure of the private hospital where the incident occurred,as naming the facility would reveal its location.
The case highlights the complex intersection of abuse of power, patient vulnerability, and considerations of judicial mercy in the face of a terminal illness. The 72-year-old doctor, who is no longer listed on the Singapore Medical Council’s website, contested the charge of outraging the woman’s modesty, but was ultimately found guilty by District Judge Shawn Ho.
The Incident and Trial Testimony
The offense occurred on december 24, 2021, following a colonoscopy and treatment for piles. The prosecution stated the surgeon touched the patient’s chest under the guise of performing a clinical breast examination while she was recovering and sedated. Two nurses witnessed the act and immediately reported it to their supervisors, describing the surgeon’s actions as shocking.
During the trial, the doctor claimed he had either implied or express consent from the patient for the examination. Though,Judge Ho ruled that the sedated patient was not in a condition to provide informed consent.The judge further emphasized that “there was no medical basis for him to examine her breasts after a colonoscopy in the operating room when the clinical diagnosis was bleeding piles.”
Testimony from a medical expert confirmed that a proper clinical breast examination requires adequate exposure and a thorough assessment lasting 15 to 30 seconds – procedures not followed in this instance. One nurse, who had assisted the surgeon in approximately ten operations annually for decades, testified that she had never observed him conduct a breast examination before.
A Case for Judicial Mercy
The sentencing was significantly impacted by the revelation that the surgeon has been diagnosed with fourth-stage prostate cancer and has been given a prognosis of six to twelve months to live.Both the prosecution and the defense agreed that judicial mercy was warranted in this remarkable circumstance.
As one prosecutor stated, a sentence of 12 to 15 months would have been sought had the offender not been facing a terminal diagnosis. The concept of judicial mercy allows the court to substantially reduce a sentence in cases of extreme hardship, perhaps leading to a minimal or no custodial penalty. The case was compared to that of Formula One tycoon Ong Beng Seng, who was recently fined for abetting the obstruction of justice.
The defense team argued for a fine of S$6,000 to S$7,000 or a single day in jail with a S$10,000 fine, while the prosecution requested a jail term of four to six weeks. ultimately, Judge Ho acknowledged “the profound tension” between the severity of the offense – a betrayal of trust as a medical professional – and the offender’s terminal condition. The judge noted the cancer had metastasized to the bone
Why, Who, What, and How did it end?
Why: the case arose from the molestation of a patient during a medical procedure, highlighting issues of abuse of power and patient vulnerability. The sentencing was also complicated by the surgeon
