SINGAPORE: A doctor who was attending to his regular female patient allegedly raped her after she had gone to him complaining of an itch in her genitals and frequent urination.
The victim testified in a closed-door hearing on the opening day of the trial on Monday (Apr 30).
Wee Teong Boo, 67, is accused of committing the offence while examining the victim, who cannot be named due to a gag order.
In their opening address, Deputy Public Prosecutors Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz, Amanda Chong and Chew Xin Ying said that on Dec 30, 2015, the victim, who was then 23, visited Wee’s clinic in Bedok at about 11.30pm.
According to court documents, after the victim lay down and pulled up her t-shirt for Wee to examine her abdomen, he pulled the victim’s shorts down. He then rubbed her private parts over her underwear, asking if that was what was itchy.
Wee then asked her to lower her shorts and underwear further in order to check her private parts. She pulled them to thigh level, but he asked her to remove them, and he proceeded to remove them completely.
AdvertisementAdvertisementWee then positioned the victim such that he was between her legs. Court documents show that the victim heard the sound of a zipper. She then felt a poking sensation in her genitals, and saw Wee’s body moving forward and backward with each poking sensation.
Wee re-positioned the victim when she complained of pain. It was then that the victim managed to see what was in her private parts. Wee’s pants were unzipped, and when the victim went to the toilet immediately after, she found blood stains.
“Still in a state of shock, the victim collected her medication and left the clinic,” the DPPs said in their opening address.
VICTIM COULD NOT SLEEP THAT NIGHT
Later, when she showered and washed her private parts, she felt pain and found bloodstains when she wiped herself after using the toilet throughout the night, the court heard.
She was also unable to sleep and confided in her mother, who found her awake and tossing and turning in bed in the early hours of the morning. On the same day, she made a police report.
According to court documents, the victim suffered a hymen tear and and two small wounds.
Court documents also show that a month before the incident, Wee rubbed the victim's private parts over her underwear while examining her for gastric discomfort.
While the victim felt uneasy she did not voice her discomfort, as she assumed it was part of the medical examination and she trusted her doctor, who she had been seeing for about a year, the court heard.
Wee was charged with rape and molest on Feb 24 last year.
In a first of its kind for an ongoing court case, the Singapore Medical Council ordered that he be barred from carrying out consultations with female patients unless he is accompanied by a female doctor acting as a chaperone.
He also cannot examine the breast, pelvic, genital or anal areas of female patients, according to the 18-month order that came into effect on May 1 last year.
The Prosecution is expected to produce 15 witnesses over the trial period.
If convicted of rape, Wee faces 20 years in jail, and a fine or caning.
The maximum penalty for outrage of modesty is two years’ jail, fine, caning, or any combination of punishments. However, as he is above 50 years old, no caning will be imposed.
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