A trip on Uber Pool ended on a heinous note for a young woman, who was felt up by her driver just as she was exiting his car.
The (now former) Uber driver has since been sentenced to 18 months’ probation after he pleaded guilty to molesting the 25-year-old woman near Bukit Panjang MRT station on Sept 25 last year. According to The Straits Times, however, the prosecution is considering an appeal to overturn the sentence and has sought a stay of sentence.
Ng Chee Hong, 27, had picked up the woman near Old Chua Chu Kang Road before picking up another passenger in another destination — both had booked for a ride under Uber’s carpooling feature. The male passenger was dropped off first, and Ng drove the victim, who was sitting in the front seat, to her stop at Bukit Panjang MRT station.
It was when the woman was unbuckling her seat belt to alight at her destination that she felt contact: the fingers of Ng’s left hand were stroking her right thigh. Outraged and unsure of what to do, she left quickly. A police report was lodged.
Ng was revealed in court to be diagnosed with frotteurism, a paraphilic urge to rub against a non-consenting person for sexual pleasure. His lawyer urged probation for Ng, seeking rehabilitation instead of jail time. As part of the probation sentence, Ng will have to remain indoors between 10pm and 6am, and continue psychiatric and psychological treatment at the Institute of Mental Health. His parents are bonded for $5,000 each to ensure his good behavior as well.
But the prosecution is seeking a minimum jail term of eight weeks for Ng, arguing that there was a need to send a strong signal to other public transport providers and deter them from making moves on their customers. Deputy Public Prosecutor Gail Wong added that there was an over-riding public interest to ensure commuters have a safe ride home when they use ride-hailing apps.
