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44-year-old French national Jean-Luc Kha Vu Han, who is the CEO of The Privé Group, pleaded guilty on Thursday (Oct. 21) to asking a 13-year-old Singaporean boy lewd questions before assaulting him.
According to court documents seen by Mothership, Vu Han was drunk at the time of the offences.
What happened
On Nov. 22, 2019, the victim, who cannot be named as he is a minor, was with his 12-year-old brother in a lift heading down Parklane Shopping Mall. The lift was empty when they entered.
When the lift stopped at the fifth storey, Vu Han and his friend entered.
According to court documents, the two men had been drinking and was intoxicated at this point.
Asked the boy lewd questions
Upon entering the lift, Vu Han asked if the victim had any hair on his privates. The victim said no.
Vu Han then asked the victim, as stated in court documents: "Do you want to see mine?"
When the victim replied no, Vu Han said that he could arrange a sexual act for him.
The victim was alarmed by the insults and once again said no.
Punched the boy
Vu Han then punched then the victim on the left temple for no apparent reason.
The victim fell backwards and slammed his left upper arm into the elevator's handrails.
Vu Han also hurled vulgarities, such as "f*ck", "motherf*cker" and "little b*tch" towards the victim.
As he feared for his safety, the victim grabbed Vu Han's hands to prevent him from attacking again.
Vu Han then said: "You want to challenge me? You have no hair on your [privates] why do you want to challenge me?"
Meanwhile, Vu Han's friend was holding him back.
Slapped and pushed the boy
When the lift stopped at the first storey, Vu Han's friend pushed him out of the lift, but Vu Han refused to leave.
He used his foot to stop the lift doors from closing.
While the lift doors were open, Vu Han slapped the victim on the left cheek and pushed him.
A man who was sitting at a café on the first storey of the mall witnessed the incident.
He approached the boy and asked what had happened. He then detained Vu Han and his friend at the main entrance of the mall and called the police.
Victim suffered physical and psychological harm
The victim was sent to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Children’s Emergency.
Doctors found bruises over his left temple and left upper arm.
The victim also suffered significant psychological harm, according to court documents.
A year after the incident, the victim was still fearful of taking lifts.
In addition, he experienced flashbacks of the incident, and was unable to sleep well.
Prosecution asking for eight weeks' jail
The prosecution has urged the court to sentence Vu Han to at least eight weeks' jail, stating that the attack was "entirely unprovoked" and that the victim was vulnerable as he was only 13 years old.
However, the defence called for a mandatory treatment order (MTO) report instead, citing the fact that Vu Han was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Under a MTO, an offender will receive psychiatric treatment in lieu of jail time
Vu Han is expected to be sentenced on Dec. 14, according to The Straits Times.
In a statement to CNA, a spokesperson for The Prive Group said that Vu Han is still CEO of the group, and had been "helping [them] stay afloat amidst the ongoing Covid restrictions".
The spokesperson added, according to CNA, that Vu Han remains a "valuable member" of their management team and has their "full and unwavering support".
The spokesperson further said that the case is still ongoing and they have been advised not to comment on the case.
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