SINGAPORE – A Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) lieutenant-colonel, a helicopter pilot, admitted in court on Jan 10 to molesting a female student in a Nanyang Technological University (NTU) dormitory in 2022.
Neo Aik Chiao, 47, pleaded guilty to one charge of using criminal force with the intent to outrage the modesty of the 21-year-old woman and another for criminal trespass.
Neo, who had flown helicopters including a Chinook, had entered the victim’s room, which was located on a floor meant exclusively for female students. There is a gag order on the victim’s name and the specific location of the incident to protect her identity.
According to court documents, he went into the dormitory rooms of two women, aged 18 and 21, on Nov 13.
A second criminal trespass charge will be taken into consideration during Neo’s sentencing, which is scheduled for Feb 21.
After he was charged in November 2023, the Ministry of Defence said that Neo had been suspended from all duties.
The ministry also said that it would carefully assess the eventual findings before deciding on further actions.
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The accused’s lawyers, Mr Sunil Sudheesan and Ms Joyce Khoo, from Quahe Woo & Palmer, said Neo went to NTU, his alma mater, to seek emotional comfort as the institution represented “a place of fond memories and familiarity”.
They said Neo had been in a low mood since his godfather, whom he was very close to, died on June 30, 2022.
Before committing the offences, Neo drank beer and planned to visit his godfather’s home to seek solace, but ended up at NTU instead, the lawyers said.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Wong Shiau Yin said Neo’s victim was lying on her bed and eating some snacks while using her phone at about 2am on Nov 13, 2022, when she heard a knock on her door.
Before she could react, Neo opened the door. He spoke to her briefly, before entering the room without her permission.
Neo then closed the door behind him and locked it.
He sat on the student’s bed and told her that he was tired as he had just climbed many flights of stairs.
DPP Wong said the victim was puzzled, but did not react as Neo looked tired and was sweating profusely.
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Neo asked the student for a drink and she directed him to a water cooler on another level.
Instead of leaving, he remained seated on her bed and asked for directions to Halls 10 and 14, saying that he was looking for a friend who was residing at one of the blocks.
After the student gave him directions, Neo asked for directions to other halls.
He also asked her where she was from and what she was studying, her name, and other personal information.
He then asked her if she wanted to earn some extra income and “accompany” him for $1,000.
“The victim felt uncomfortable as the accused was making a sexual proposition,” said DPP Wong.
The student rejected Neo, saying she did not need the money, and told him to leave. Neo went on to touch her left thigh.
After the student repeated her request for him to leave her room, Neo stood up from the bed, walked towards her and touched her left arm.
He placed his hands on her shoulders and said in Mandarin: “Is $1,000 okay? Can you accompany me?”
Scared, the victim pushed Neo away and shouted for him to leave the room.
Neo eventually walked to the door and told the student the door was locked and that he could not open it.
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The student then took out her phone to call her friend. When Neo saw this, he unlocked the door and left the room.
The student called campus security and made a police report.
A report from the Institute of Mental Health stated that Neo was intoxicated at the time of the offence, adding that there may be a partial contributory link between his intoxication and loss of restraint.
The report added that he was not of unsound mind at the time of the offence.
DPP Wong argued for Neo to be sentenced to at least 12 weeks’ jail, saying the molestation offence was committed on private property in the wee hours of the morning.
Ms Khoo and Mr Sudheesan said he should be fined about $10,000, saying that it was a one-off incident and uncharacteristic of Neo.
They highlighted that the skin-to-skin contact between their client and the victim was very brief, and that “there was no invasion of (the victim’s) private part”.
They also said Neo did not have any ulterior motive, and had entered the dormitory to find someone to talk to.
For using criminal force intending to outrage modesty, Neo can be jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or receive any combination of such punishments.
He can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to $1,500, or both, for criminal trespass.
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