S'porean doctor, 40, assaults & abducts ex-girlfriend, threatens to share her nudes 'for [her] own good'

A Singaporean aesthetic doctor, 40, assaulted and abducted his now ex-girlfriend, 33, nearing the end of their relationship, where video footage showed him dragging the woman to his car against her will.

He also forced his way into the woman's flat, took her belongings, and threatened to share her intimate photos.

Chua Cheng Yu pleaded guilty to four charges on Aug. 5, including the use of criminal force; causing intentional harassment, alarm and distress; voluntarily causing hurt; and unlawful restraint.

Took her laptop and hairdryer during an argument

Chua and the woman met sometime in January 2021 as she began working for Chua at Veritas Medical Aesthetics, the clinic he founded.

They entered a romantic relationship sometime in 2022, which was "plagued by repeated disagreements and quarrels", as seen in court documents.

Sometime in mid-March 2023, the woman resigned from the clinic amid a "rough patch" in the relationship.

On the evening of Apr. 1, 2023, Chua forced himself into the woman's flat and began throwing various items around the house, believing that the woman had cheated on him.

He then took the woman's laptop and hairdryer, despite her attempts to stop him.

Amid the fight, Chua pushed the woman against the wall and caused her to injure her head.

He then returned twice to her flat, where he proceeded to snatch the woman's phone and the remote controller to the gate of her condominium during the third visit.

He returned for the fourth time at around 12am under the pretence of returning the woman her phone, only to snatch her house key.

The woman then called the police.

Chua returned the phone, laptop, house key, and gate remote controller to the woman on Apr. 5, 2023.

Threatened to send her nudes

On the evening of May 24, 2023, Chua picked the woman up from her dinner place and drove her home in his car, where he suggested that they store belongings at each other’s homes.

The woman refused and left his car to go back to her flat.

Chua then proceeded to message the woman via Telegram and call her multiple times.

He also threatened to send intimate photos of her through the chat function of a mobile gaming application.

Assaults and kidnaps the woman

On Sep. 10, 2023, Chua called the woman several times at her new company, where she did not pick up the calls.

The woman left the office at around 10pm, where Chua pulled up beside her in his car and began crying and begging her to get into the car.

When she refused, he grew angry and dragged her into the car.

In-camera footage from Chua's car showed him shoving the woman into the car and her attempting to climb out of the car at a traffic junction to escape.

The woman then told Chua she wanted to feed her cats, and Chua agreed to drive her back to her flat so she could do so.

The woman's phone rang while inside the car. Chua then took her phone and demanded that she give him the password so he could access its content. She refused.

While Chua was preoccupied with her phone, the woman escaped by winding down the window of the car before climbing out and running back to her condominium.

Chua chased after her and then dragged the woman, who was on the ground and shouting for help, back to his car.

A security guard and a neighbour of the woman heard the commotion and came out to see what was going on.

The woman escaped and ran to the security guard, who stopped Chua from pursuing the woman.

Chua then drove off with the woman's belongings still inside the car.

Medical reports of the woman found that she suffered from bruises, abrasions, a sternum fracture, and a minor head injury from the encounter.

Arrested on Mar. 2, 2024

Chua was found and arrested at the basement of a hotel at Novena on Mar. 2, 2024.

He was found to be suffering from Major Depressive Disorder since April 2023, but was found to be of sound mind when he committed the abduction.

He will return to court on Oct. 1 for sentencing.

Top image via court documents and Veritas website