SINGAPORE - A policeman was alone in an office with a female colleague to conduct training on first aid and police defensive tactics (PDT) in November 2020 when he molested her.

Abdul Gaffor Jainul Hussain, 48, who was then holding the rank of an inspector, conducted these sessions with the policewoman even though he was not certified to train others on these two topics at the time.

He was fined $10,000 on Monday (Sept 25) after he pleaded guilty to two counts of outraging the victim's modesty. Two other molestation charges involving the same policewoman were considered during sentencing.

In a statement in January 2023, the Singapore Police Force said Abdul Gaffor's offences surfaced in a report which the victim made on May 11, 2021. A spokesperson added: "Following the report, SPF swiftly initiated investigations and removed Abdul Gaffor from front-line duties. Victim care support was offered to the victim."

Details such as the location of the offences and the woman's age have been redacted from court documents. She also cannot be named due to a gag order to protect her identity.

On Nov 3, 2020, selected officers, including the victim, were instructed to report to Abdul Gaffor individually during their 45-minute time slot designated for Official Administration and Learning (OAL) the next day.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Emily Koh told the court that OAL is a form of workplace self-paced learning, and topics are set monthly by each police division. But the topics at Abdul Gaffor's division for November 2020 did not include training for first aid and PDT.

On Nov 4, 2020, the victim reported to him at around 2am.

Abdul Gaffor took out a few small pieces of folded paper and asked the victim to choose one. On each piece of folded paper was a topic he had handwritten before the session. The policewoman took a piece marked "First Aid".

The DPP said: "The victim was not informed there would be any physical contact with the accused before proceeding with the OAL."

Despite this, the policewoman was asked to perform an abdominal thrust - a move to address choking victims - on Abdul Gaffor.

He then told the victim that she had not done it properly, and molested the woman while performing an abdominal thrust on her.

Abdul Gaffor then told her to pick another piece of folded paper, and she selected one marked "PDT". He molested the policewoman again soon after, leaving her feeling violated and disgusted.

On Monday, defence lawyer Gino Hardial Singh from Abbots Chambers asked for his client to be given a fine of $7,000. He told the court that there was no skin-to-skin contact between Abdul Gaffor and the victim, and the duration of the touches was brief.

He also said the offender's actions were not premeditated.

For each count of molestation, an offender can be jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or receive any combination of these.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.