A 40-year-old Swiss man, identified as Ramon Taboada Souza Neto, recently found himself in trouble during his visit to Singapore.
The incident occurred on April 1, 2023, at Zouk, a popular establishment in Singapore where the victim, a 39-year-old employee referred to as a “table hostess,” was working in the VIP section.
The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous due to legal reasons, was performing her duties, cleaning a table, when Ramon approached her from behind.
Without her consent, he proceeded to slap her left buttock with his right hand. This act was caught on Zouk’s surveillance cameras.
The victim swiftly turned around, catching Ramon in the act. Realizing what had happened, she immediately informed Zouk’s security officers about the incident.
A security officer approached Ramon for questioning, but instead of cooperating, he attempted to flee the premises.
However, Zouk’s security team managed to detain him outside, promptly contacting the police at approximately 3:31 am. One of the security officers told the police when calling for help, saying that there was “a molest case. Detained him and he is trying to run. Victim is with us.”
The authorities arrived at the scene and took Ramon into custody. He was released on S$1,000 bail on the same day.
Subsequently, on June 12, 2023, Ramon pleaded guilty to the charge of outrage of modesty. The district judge presiding over the case imposed a fine of S$4,000 as punishment.
During the mitigation plea, Ramon’s defense lawyer, Navin Naidu from Dentons Rodyk & Davidson, emphasized that his client had no previous criminal record.
Naidu argued that Ramon’s actions were a result of excessive alcohol consumption, although a blood sample obtained more than 10 hours after the incident revealed no traces of alcohol. Naidu suggested that the alcohol might have already been metabolized by that time.
To demonstrate Ramon’s remorse, Naidu highlighted that his client had written an apology letter to the victim on April 23, 2023.
The defense lawyer also mentioned that Ramon was eager to return to his family in Switzerland, as his wife was expecting their fourth child. The incident had forced Ramon to remain in Singapore for over 70 days, causing significant stress for him.