The 26-year-old co-founder of Singapore food business Beef Bro was sentenced to nine years, nine months and four weeks’ jail and eight strokes of the cane, after being convicted of sexually assaulting his sister’s intoxicated friend.
Norvan Tan En Jie, 26, guilty in July. He had claimed trial to two counts of sexual assault by penetration and two counts of outrage of modesty.
However, Tan intends to appeal against both the conviction and sentence, his lawyer Amarit Singh told the High Court according to Today Online.
Norvan Tan was found guilty of sexually assaulting his sister’s friend, who was staying over at his family’s flat after a night of drinking in 2016. He was accused of committing the offences on Dec 26, 2016.
Tan was offered bail of S$95,000 on Friday, pending his appeal.
Tan had sexually assaulted the girl that night on the sofa in the living room, in his sister’s room, and in the bathroom, according to an earlier finding by Justice Ang Cheng Hock. Tan’s DNA was also matched by semen that was discovered on the T-shirt the assault victim was wearing.
The defence contended that the semen may have been spread from the wall or toilet surfaces, from other clothing items in the washing basket, or from the T-shirt itself. But Justice Ang found this to be unconvincing.
Tan was 21 at the time.
Tan’s explanation of what happened during the trial in his oral testimony, according to the judge, was a “concocted” afterthought.
READ : Beef Bro Co-Founder Found Guilty Of Sexually Assaulting Sister’s Intoxicated Friend In Toilet
According to Today Online, the prosecution sought 10 years and five months’ jail and eight strokes of the cane on Friday.
ASPIRING & KIND HEARTED : DEFENSE
Deputy Public Prosecutors (DPPs) Ng Yi Wen and Niranjan Ranjakunalan said that Tan had committed the offences while the victim was drunk and vulnerable.
She was so intoxicated that she vomited repeatedly, fell down twice when she was supported out of the toilet by Tan and did not have the strength to resist or say anything when Tan sexually assaulted her.
“It is also clear that (Tan), fully cognisant of how intoxicated (the victim) was, deliberately exploited that vulnerability to satiate his perverse sexual desires,” they said.
They added that Tan failed to use a condom when he sexually assaulted her, which has been ruled by judges in past cases to be an aggravating factor during sentencing because it exposes the victim to the risk of sexually transmitted disease.
Defence counsel Amarjit Singh argued that these were not aggravating factors and called for a lighter sentence.
The lawyer described Tan, who was 21 at the time of the offences, as an “aspiring” and “kind-hearted” individual. He also provided letters from Tan’s parents and aunt for the judge to consider.
In reply, Mr Singh said: “It is just so that Your Honour understands where he had come from and what he had achieved in life.”
Justice Ang agreed with the prosecution that the victim being drunk and Tan not wearing a condom were aggravating factors that warranted a heavier sentence.
He increased Tan’s bail amount to S$95,000 from S$75,000, after the prosecution applied for a higher level of bail given that Tan has now been sentenced and that he was, on his own account, a “successful entrepreneur”.
Tan has previously been in the news for running several companies, including footwear business BlackOut SG, in addition to the Beef Bro chain of eateries.
However, after Mr. Singh stated that Tan’s passport had already been seized, the judge rejected the prosecution’s request that Tan be issued an electronic tag to prevent him from leaving the country.
For sexual assault by penetration, Tan could have been jailed for up to 20 years and fined or caned. For outrage of modesty, he could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, caned or any combination of these penalties.
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Image : Today Online / Raj Nadarajan
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