S'pore repairman, 49, who allegedly raped woman claims she made first move, says he's a 'righteous & upright person'

A 49-year-old renovation contractor who allegedly raped a woman in her flat after she hired him to repair the faulty lights claimed that they had consensual sex after she initiated the first move by pulling his arm.

Taking the stand on Jul. 31, Koh Lee Hwa claimed that the sexual encounter led to the woman biting him in excitement and her uttering the word "money" before he left, The Straits Times reported.

He said the sexual encounter, which "happened very quickly" and took slightly over ten minutes, was comparable to the "standard" length of time for sex between him and his wife.

“How could it happen so fast if it was rape?” he told the court.

The alleged offences happened in August 2021, when he was 45 at the time.

He faces one count of rape, one count of sexual assault by penetration, and two counts of outrage of modesty.

Prosecution's contention

In court documents previously seen by Mothership, the prosecution stated that Koh went to the woman's flat on Aug. 23, 2021, to repair the faulty common toilet light in her home.

She had known Koh since 2015, when she would occasionally contact him for renovation and electrical works.

Koh had hugged the woman without her consent in the hall, and the woman, shocked, pushed him away before returning to the bedroom.

She then messaged two of her friends, saying that Koh had hugged her and she was scared.

She also remained inside, hoping Koh would finish the repairs quickly and leave.

A few minutes later, Koh told the woman he was done with the repair work and asked her to check if they were working.

When she exited the bathroom, Koh allegedly pushed her against a dressing table and allegedly hugged her again.

Though she tried to push him away, Koh allegedly raped her on the bed despite her biting him on the shoulder, begging him to stop, and pushing him off.

Koh denies allegations

Koh denied the allegations that he had hugged the woman, and said that she pulled his right arm while they were outside the master bedroom toilet after checking the water heater.

According to ST, he said he asked her in Mandarin, "What do you want?" and the woman repeated the words back to him.

He said "things happened very quickly", and they landed on the bed, and that the woman made sounds indicating she was excited.

He also claimed she bit him in excitement while they were having sex, and he pushed her to stop her because he did not want his family to know he had an affair.

Koh claimed that after having sex and when he told her he was leaving, she said the word "money" and he replied "don't have".

He said he wasn't sure if the woman was asking him for money or referring to the amount that she owed him for the repair job.

Koh added that the woman might be jealous of him because she saw the gold chain he was wearing.

According to ST, When Justice Mavis Chionh asked about its relevance to the incident, he said it was just his view.

The man also said he did not hug her, and that he was a "righteous and upright person".

Koh disagreed with the prosecutor's contention that the woman did not grab his arm and that she never expressed romantic or sexual interest in him.

He claimed they were both "in the mood" and that the woman was attempting to "entice" him by tugging on his arm.

He also disagreed with the prosecutor's argument that the woman had tried to push him away and told him to let her go.

Koh’s testimony marked the end of the trial, with both sides having four weeks to submit written submissions and an additional week to respond.

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