He allegedly raped her the first time they were alone in his flat.
Testifying in court on the second day of the trial yesterday, the maid said shortly before she was sexually assaulted, alcohol distributor Chin Swee Chung had called out to her when she was in her bedroom.
The Myanmar national told Justice Chan Seng Onn that after she stepped out of her room, Chin, now 45, told her, “I need you”, before dragging her to his bedroom and committing the first rape.
According to court papers, Chin, who is Malaysian, allegedly raped the mother of three for the first time at around 1am on Dec 20, 2013.
The Singapore permanent resident is also accused of raping the maid a second time, about six hours later.
Chin, who is out on $70,000 bail, was married when he allegedly committed these offences. He is now divorced.
On Tuesday, the court heard that he claimed the sex was consensual on both occasions.
The maid, now 38, returned from Myanmar for the trial.
Speaking from the witness stand, the maid said she started working for Chin’s family in their Pasir Ris flat on July 2013, earning $420 a month.
The court heard that five people lived there – Chin, his mother, his then-wife and their two children.
The maid said she had never spoken to Chin while she was working there, and he had never given her any instructions.
The court heard that Chin’s then-wife and their children went overseas for a holiday on Dec 17, 2013. His mother had gone back to Malaysia at that time.
The maid said Chin was not at home when she went to bed at around 10pm on Dec 19. The court heard that her room had no door – just a curtain.
WOKEN UP
She said she was sleeping on a mattress when the family dog made a sound and woke her up.
She then saw Chin in front of her room, calling her name while shaking the drawn curtain. He spoke to her in English when she stepped out.
She testified that she did not understand most of what he said but managed to pick out the words: “I need you.”
She said: “I understood through those words that he wanted to sleep with me.”
The maid told Justice Chan that Chin then dragged her to his bedroom.
She struggled to get away and repeatedly told him: “I don’t want.”
But he allegedly replied: “Don’t worry. Don’t be scared. Ma’am and children are not around.”
He then pushed her onto a bed and raped her.
Afterwards, she ran back to her room and stayed there, crying until dawn.
She also tried to phone one of her friends, a Myanmar national, who testified in court on Tuesday, but he did not answer.
At about 7am, the maid said she was washing some clothes by hand at a service balcony when Chin came up behind her and apologised.
Suddenly, he grabbed her hand and dragged her to his bedroom, where he raped her again on the same bed.
After Chin left for work at around 10am, the maid called her friend, who advised her to call the police.
Officers arrived at the flat about 15 minutes later, the court heard.
The trial resumes today.
Factors for cases to be heard in-camera
It is not uncommon for alleged victims of sexual crimes to give their testimonies in court in the presence of reporters and members of the public.
Yesterday, lawyers who are not involved in the rape case involving alcohol distributor Chin Swee Chung told The New Paper that the prosecution can apply for the victims to give their testimonies “in-camera”.
Lawyer Rajan Supramaniam said this means people not directly involved in the case will be asked to leave the courtroom.
However, the prosecution did not apply for the maid in the current case to give her testimony in-camera.
Another lawyer, Mrs Gloria James-Civetta, told The New Paper that whether or not a testimony is given in-camera depends on factors such as the age of the victims and their mental state after their ordeal.
She said: “Prosecutors can apply for the victim’s testimony to be heard in-camera if she is still in a very fragile state.
“They can also apply for it if they have to present sensitive materials in court such as footage showing nudity and sexual acts.”
This article was first published on May 12, 2016.
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