S'pore woman awarded S$53,697 after suing ex-MINDEF colleague over alleged sexual assault, court overturns her win

A woman in Singapore was awarded over S$50,000 by a district court after she sued her ex-colleague for allegedly sexually assaulting her.

However, the Singapore High Court overturned the judgment on Mar. 25 after it found that Kang May Teng Maria Olivia did not prove the alleged sexual assault.

Alleged that he assaulted her after asking him to come over

The case centred on an alleged incident on Jul. 10, 2016, when Kang and Chua had returned to her apartment to have sex after a night out.

The pair had been colleagues at the Ministry of Defence after meeting in 2015, and later entered into a sexually intimate relationship.

Kang later claimed that she withdrew consent after initially inviting Chua over, citing that she had "sobered up" and "regretted" asking him over.

He wanted to be open about their relationship, while she wanted to keep it secret, leading to constant tension.

Kang later claimed that Chua restrained her and assaulted her following an alleged emotional breakdown.

He denied the allegation, saying he could not recall the events but would not have acted without consent.

Previous evidence did not prove her claim

Kang was awarded over S$50,000 in damages by the district court in 2025, including for "pain and suffering" and punitive damages.

Chua later appealed the decision, and the High Court found that key aspects of the lower court's reasoning were flawed.

In particular, it held that text messages exchanged shortly after the incident did not corroborate the alleged assault, contrary to the District Judge's findings.

The High Court also found that Kang's account contained material inconsistencies, including differences between her earlier written statements and later testimony regarding how the incident unfolded.

While acknowledging that victims of sexual assault may react in varied ways — including delays in reporting or continued contact with the alleged perpetrator — the court said such conduct must still be assessed against the overall evidence.

The judge concluded that Kang's claim was not proven on a balance of probabilities, the standard required in civil cases.

The decision overturns the earlier finding of liability for battery and sets aside the damages awarded.

Kang was ordered to pay costs to Chua.

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