24-year-old Tan Qiu Yan lied to the Singapore Police Force about being molested, which led to the unjust investigation of a 35-year-old man, according to The Straits Times.
Background
Tan Qiu Yan and her boyfriend, 23-year-old Tan Jek He, were strolling along Lavender Street when a seemingly ordinary encounter took a dark turn. As they passed by the victim, Tan’s boyfriend Tan Jek He was convinced that the victim was staring at his girlfriend, and he then confronted the man.
The situation escalated, with Tan Jek He then punching the victim in the face, causing a laceration on his lower jaw. Despite attempts to de-escalate, the altercation continued, prompting the victim to seek help from his friends, and they then proceeded to confront the assailant at Kitchener Complex.
A Twisted Cover-Up
As the police arrived at the scene, Tan Qiu Yan made a shocking claim: the victim had touched her backside, trying to justify her boyfriend’s retaliatory punch.
This claim, later revealed as a calculated fabrication, initiated a series of events that would lead to an innocent man being investigated for a crime he did not commit.
Deeputy Public Prosecutor Vincent Ong told the court that Tan Qiu Yan and Tan Jek He had concocted a plan to protect the latter, recently released from prison, from the consequences of assaulting the victim. The duo falsely accused the victim of molestation, setting off a chain of events that would eventually unravel.
False Narratives and Police Investigations
The couple stuck to their fabricated story during police investigations, maintaining that the victim had molested Tan Qiu Yan. This false narrative, however, crumbled when CCTV footage revealed no contact between the victim and the accused woman.
Police investigations, aided by closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, proved pivotal in exposing the deception. The footage contradicted Tan Qiu Yan’s account, leading to the revelation that the victim had not molested her, and her boyfriend’s violent actions were not justified.
However, Tan continued with her lie and it was only after the police showed her the CCTV footage, did she then finally confess that she was actually not molested.
Legal Consequences and Sentencing
Tan Qiu Yan faced legal repercussions for her false statements. On January 12, she was sentenced to one week’s jail after pleading guilty to providing false information to a public servant.
Tan Jek He’s case, on the other hand, is still ongoing and he is expected to plead guilty to his offence in March.