SINGAPORE — Former Singapore Idol judge Ken Lim Chih Chiang was found guilty today of molesting a 25-year-old woman during a 2021 interview at Hype Records.
According to CNA, the 61-year-old had denied the charge in his second of five scheduled trials, after being acquitted earlier of a separate allegation involving sexual remarks made in 2012.
Principal District Judge Lee Lit Cheng said she found the victim to be a credible witness who gave her account without exaggeration, adding that Lim was “untruthful”.
She stated that Lim’s “emphatic denials” in court, contradicting his own police statement, showed that “he is an unreliable witness willing to make bald claims to defend his own interest”.
Lee rejected the defence’s claim that it was physically difficult for Lim to touch the victim as described, stating that the act was possible given their close proximity during a kiss initiated at his request.
The court accepted the victim’s account, noting that her repeated disclosures to her boyfriend and friends, while not definitive proof, did not diminish the credibility of her testimony.
The judge ruled that discrepancies in witness recollections did not undermine the victim’s version, as such inconsistencies are common in secondary testimonies of sexual assault.
Lim’s police statement, which included references to touching the victim’s lower back and calling her “babe”, was also cited, with the judge noting that these admissions aligned more closely with the victim’s account than with Lim’s court testimony.
Lim had claimed he was misled into signing the police statement under assurances it would be reviewed later, but this was contradicted by two officers present during the interview and the presence of Lim’s handwritten amendments.
The judge also noted that Lim’s legal team never raised the issue of the alleged promise in their subsequent correspondence with investigators.
Arguments by the defence suggesting the victim had ulterior motives related to fame were dismissed due to lack of supporting evidence.
Lim, who attended the hearing with family members, shook his head upon hearing the verdict, CNA reported.
Sentencing will take place at a later date.
