'Misogyny should have no place in our society': K Shanmugam slams Law Society of S'pore VP lawyer's post on recent rape case

Update on Mar. 24 at 5:45pm: This article has been updated to include a statement from the Law Society of Singapore.

Minister for Law K Shanmugam criticised a senior lawyer's take on a guilty verdict handed down in the Singapore courts.

Shanmugam shared that he was surprised to read the comments made by lawyer Chia Boon Teck on the conviction of former Wah!Banana actor Lev Panfilov.

Panfilov was found guilty on Mar. 21 on all four charges of molesting, sexually assaulting and raping a woman he met on dating app Tinder, The Straits Times (ST) reported.

In a post on his LinkedIn, Chia, who is the vice president of the Law Society of Singapore, questioned the victim's testimony of the rape and made several jabs at the victim.

"People who indulge in one night stands may wanna take note to protect themselves from attack, or accusations of attack," Chia wrote.

The post has since been taken down, but screenshots have been circulated online.

Chia's LinkedIn profile also appears to have been deactivated.

Background

According to court documents, Panfilov was 24 when he met the then-30-year-old victim.

The woman used Tinder to meet new people and broaden her social circle.

She came across Panfilov's profile and decided to match with him.

She was trying to write a script and thought she could obtain advice and feedback from Panfilov, as his profile mentioned that he was a scriptwriter.

The pair arranged to meet after chatting on the application and the messaging platform WhatsApp.

They met on the night of Jan. 12, 2021, at Wine Connection at Robertson Quay, where they had a meal and discussed the woman's script.

When the restaurant was closing at around 10pm, Panfilov suggested to the woman that they go to his condominium unit to continue working on the script.

The woman agreed.

The pair watched YouTube videos of comedians, discussed comedic principles and worked on the woman's script in Panfilov's bedroom in the condominium unit.

At that time, he shared a condominium unit with roommates and occupied one of the three bedrooms.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sruthi Boppana said that sometime during the night, Panfilov made his move, shedding his "facade of civility" to show "his true colours."

He allegedly forced a kiss on the victim before proceeding to "to rapidly escalate his sexual assault on her".

Deputy Public Prosecutor Boppana said Panfilov grabbed the woman's breasts, sexually assaulted her and then raped her.

She said Panfilov violated the woman despite her "repeated entreaties for him to stop", all while he was fully aware that she did not consent to his sexual advancements.

Once "satiated", Panfilov told the woman she could leave and booked her a private hire vehicle to her house after the alleged assault.

The woman made a police report against Panfilov on Jan. 18, 2021, after her mother caught her crying in her room.

Her mother also brought her to KK Women's and Children's Hospital on the same day as she was experiencing pain in her lower abdominal region.

Conviction

According to ST, Panfilov did not deny he had sex with the woman but claimed it was consensual.

He stated that the woman made the first advances by laughing at his jokes and stroking his thigh.

He also asked for her address and booked a ride via Gojek for her after they had sex.

ST wrote that the defence tried to cast doubt on the woman's account.

The defence questioned why the woman would give her address to her alleged rapist and why it took her days before seeing the doctor and reporting the incident.

The woman then explained that she gave her address as she "just wanted to go home" and "would have given him anything he wanted".

She said she was initially unsure if she would be believed as the assault happened behind closed doors, and there were no witnesses, ST stated.

However, Justice Pang Khang Chau found the woman to be an "unusually convincing" witness, while Panfilov was "not a credible witness".

Pang added that there were significant inconsistencies between what Panfilov said to the police officers, what he said in his video-recorded interviews and what he said in court.

Chia's comments

In his LinkedIn post, Chia attached a picture of Panfilov's case reported on ST and highlighted certain sections of the report.

He then broke down 10 points in an attempt to rebuff the woman's account of the rape.

When highlighting Panfilov's charges, Chia commented: "Wow. Was she awake throughout the marathon?"

He also said that the woman was "not exactly a babe in the woods" when it was revealed the woman was a 30-year-old actress and model.

Chia also questioned how the woman's "no" progressed to Panfilov's four charges.

On the subject of Panfilov booking her ride home, Chia said: "That sounds rather like a date".

Shanmugam's post

In his Facebook post, Shanmugam expressed concern over Chia's views as Chia was suggesting that the female victim should not be believed.

"Mr Chia has expressed his personal views. But he is also the Vice President of the Law Society. My concern is that some people might actually think that the views he has expressed indicate the norms in Singapore. And I worry what impact his statement may have on other victims."

Shanmugam then shared his view and the changes made to protect victims of sexual assault and harassment from 2012 to 2023.

He also added that there have been changes to divorce proceedings, making it easier for women to enforce their rights.

"I hope that we will continue to be a society that provides a proper framework to protect women in sexual assault cases. Too often victims remain silent. We need to help them come forward and report," Shanmugam said.

"We ought to refrain from typecasting women, who are often victims of sexual assault. Lawyers (in particular those in senior positions representing the legal profession), need to be mindful that when we make statements which minimise or dismiss victims’ concerns, that can have a disproportionate impact on other victims – who may then not be willing to report what happened to them."

Shanmugam concluded that "shaming and blaming victims step over the line. And misogyny should have no place in our society".

Called out

The Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) and others have since called Chia out on his since deleted post.

Lawyer Stefanie Yuen Thio shared on LinkedIn that she was appalled by Chia's attitude and called for an explanation or an apology.

AWARE pointed out that when a senior lawyer mocks a rape victim, it is not just offensive, it's "dangerous".

The Law Society of Singapore issued a statement stating that Chia's comments were not made on behalf of the organisation and do not represent its views.

"We are giving this matter serious consideration in line with our internal protocols and, in accordance with due process, will take further steps as appropriate."

Who is Chia Boon Teck?

According to Chia's LinkedIn, he is currently the co-managing director of Chia Wong Chambers LLC.

He has been a litigator since 1995.

He was elected vice president of the Law Society of Singapore in August 2023.

He writes that he was previously a Commando, a police investigator and Singapore Airlines cabin crew.

Top photos via Chia Wong Chambers/website & Alok Bansal/Facebook