A New Zealander was jailed for six months today after pleading guilty on Nov. 10 to an outrage of modesty charge for molesting a beer promoter, then laughing it off by offering her 50 cents. And that was after he so generously tipped her 10 cents for serving his order in the first place.
Jeffrey Bruce Shearer, a 46-year-old sheep farmer, was in town for a vacation to visit his father-in-law, who works here as a business development officer, Yahoo News Singapore noted. The incident occurred when they were at a Jurong West coffee shop at about 9:30pm on July 24. After ordering two bottles of beer from the 39-year-old beer promoter, Shearer asked for another bottle from her around 10pm.
He paid for the $6 bottle with an extra 10 cents as a tip, and the lady thanked him. The pair then continued to speak to her in English, and even though she did not understand what they were saying, she stayed near the table to avoid appearing rude, The Straits Times reported.
That was when Shearer gave the beer promoter a “perverted smile” and “forcefully grabbed” her right breast, the court heard. In pain, the victim quickly pushed the man’s hand away, but he continued in his attempts to touch her. Upset, she fended off his advances and shouted at him, but he merely laughed in response and offered her a 50 cent coin, which she promptly rejected.
After relating her ordeal to other diners, the woman told her husband about what had transpired, and he arrived at the scene around 11pm to confront Shearer, who admitted to the molest. The husband then called the police, and Shearer was subsequently arrested.
In court today, Shearer’s lawyer pleaded for his client to either be slapped with a hefty fine or get less than two months in jail, claiming the man was “deeply remorseful” for his actions, and that “the touch lasted for only a second”.
The lawyer also said that Shearer’s farm had incurred losses from his absence, and his three young children were “traumatized” from not being able to see their father.
But the prosecution rightfully called his behavior “chauvinistic and completely demeaning to the victim”, and District Judge Dorothy Ling declared that a fine would be inappropriate, in light of the woman’s insulting experience.
“The message must go out that service staff must be treated, if not with respect, then appropriately. On no account should they be made to feel vulnerable at their workplace,” she added.
For the outrage of modesty charge, Shearer could have been jailed a maximum of two years and fined or caned.
