courtesy of the electric newpaper, 18 July 2005
SLAPPED, WHIPPED, STRIPPED
Girls, 19, beaten and humiliated by 4 girls as 5 boys sing birthday songs to drown out her cries for help
FOR two hours, they slapped her, whipped her with a fishing rod and splashed her with water.
By Faith Teo
FOR two hours, they slapped her, whipped her with a fishing rod and splashed her with water.
But that was not the end of the 19-year-old girl's nightmare at the hands of four girls.
They then stripped off her blouse and bra - in front of five boys.
Through it all, the victim - who cannot be named - resisted and screamed for help.
And what did her assailants do?
They got the boys - whom they had promised to stage an 'R(A) show' for - to sing birthday songs to drown out her cries.
The horrific incident took place in Punggol Park in Hougang Ave 8 almost three years ago.
Last week, four girls, Tan Hui Shi, now 16; See Toh Poh Peng, 17; Chia Sok May, 19; and Toh Bee Chen, 20; pleaded guilty to various charges, including rioting and theft.
It is not known why it is only now that their case has been taken to court. (See report on facing page.)
Another girl, now 15, will be dealt with separately.
The court heard that on 4 Oct, 2002, the four girls met the victim at Timezone Arcade in Hougang Mall.
It was about 6pm and the victim, now 22, was dancing at a para-para dance machine when two of the girls approached her and asked to borrow $2.
She told them to wait until she had finished dancing.
Instead of lending them the money, the victim gave them the slip.
The five girls then chased her to a pasar malam (night bazaar) nearby.
PREVIOUS CASE OF THEFT
There, the girls confronted her about a previous case of theft in which the victim as well as Toh, Chia and another girl were involved.
Toh was upset that the victim had divulged that girl's identity, causing her to be arrested and sent to the Toa Payoh Girls' Home.
The girls then decided to settle the quarrel away from the public eye and took the victim to Punggol Park a short distance away.
On their way to the hilltop, the group met five teenage boys who were fishing by a pond.
And that was when the girls came up with the indecent proposal.
They asked the boys, now aged between 13 and 17, if they wanted to watch an 'R(A) show' and also to see someone being beaten up.
It is not known if the groups knew each other.
The boys then followed them.
Police investigations showed that the boys did not join in the vicious attack that followed.
On the hilltop, the girls took turns slapping the victim and throwing water on her.
Chia also whipped her with a fishing rod before suggesting that they strip the victim.
The youngest girl of the group, now 15, started unbuttoning the victim's long-sleeve shirt. When she resisted, Chia and Toh held on to her to restrain her.
When the victim started to scream for help, the girls told the boys to 'sing birthday songs' so that passers-by would not be alerted to her cries.
The 15-year-old then proceeded to remove the victim's shirt and bra, leaving her topless.
Two of the girls also rummaged through the victim's pouch and stole an ez-link card and $15.
Chia passed Toh the ez-link card, which Toh later used on buses and the MRT.
At 10pm, two hours after the attack, the teenagers abandoned the victim at the park and went home.
The victim then went to the Hougang police post and made a report.
She suffered bruises on her shoulder, back, left knee, right cheek and the back of her head.
The police arrested the group and seized two fishing rods, a small fish tank and a foldable knife as evidence.
Last Thursday, all four girls pleaded guilty to rioting. They will be sentenced tomorrow.
In addition, Chia pleaded quilty to one charge each of theft, causing wrongful restraint and disposing of stolen property.
Toh was also convicted of one charge each of causing wrongful restraint and dishonestly retaining stolen property.
The five boys were dealt with in 2003.
JUDGE QUESTIONS 3-YEAR DELAY
WHEN the girls were hauled to court last Thursday, district judge Wong Keen Onn asked police prosecutor Andy Chia why there was a three-year delay in their case.
The judge pointed out the girls' ages when they committed the offences.
He said that some of the girls were below the age of 16 at the time of the incident.
If they had been taken to court earlier, they could have been charged as juveniles and not as adults.
As juveniles, the penalties would have been less severe and they would not have had to face jail terms.
He questioned that, since the five boys were dealt with in 2003, why it was not so for the girls?
PP Chia was not able to give an answer but said the case had been handled by at least two different investigating officers over the past three years.
Mr Wong then deferred sentencing to tomorrow and asked the prosecutor to have an answer by then.
For rioting, they can be jailed up to five years.
For wrongful restraint, they can be jailed up to 10 years.
For theft and disposing of stolen property, they can be jailed up to three years and fined.
Dishonestly retaining stolen property carries a maximum penalty of five years' jail and a fine.
