School of the Arts teacher Jason Lim has denied all sexual harassment accusations against him and plans to take legal action to clear his name.
The 55-year-old said this in a statement to Coconuts this morning, days after allegations targeting him, a student of the arts school, as well as more than a dozen other men, were shared in a now-defunct Instagram page. In response to the accusations, which included that he had allegedly made inappropriate sexual advances to a teenager, Lim claimed that he was not given a chance to speak out on the matter and that he had been “unfairly put to public trial.”
“I would like to place on record that the accounts of the alleged victim(s) are all unverified and untrue. I have been unfairly put to public trial without having a say nor being asked to provide my account in this narrative whatsoever,” Lim wrote. He had been teaching at the school for nearly a decade before being barred from any contact with students while police conducted investigations.
“I have had no further recourse other than to take legal action against the accusers to clear my name,” Lim added.
Lim was one of those who were accused by the Durian.dot Instagram account last week. One of the posts alleged that Lim was “stroking” a 19-year-old student’s hand while in a cab together, and tried to get her to go home with him.
SOTA yesterday barred Lim from any contact with students and clarified that the alleged incident in the cab had happened before Lim joined the school in 2012 as a visual arts teacher. The school added that besides Lim, only “a few former students” were involved in other allegations, that included sharing of upskirt photos.
Singapore performance artist Chand Chandramohan, who claimed Lim had harassed her for thinking that she was the person behind the Durian.dot account, filed a police complaint against Lim on Monday. She also accused him of having a “sordid history in the arts.”
Lim, who is also known for his ceramic works, said in today’s statement that the accusations against him have caused “irreparable damage” to his reputation and personal relationships.
“I am deeply disappointed with the unwarranted ‘naming and shaming’ that I have experienced thus far,” he added.
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