A 36-year-old Philippine national has been given eight weeks imprisonment for forcibly kissing his colleague. The accused, identified as Gaabucayan Mitchel Cubong, pleaded guilty on one count of using force to molest a 20-year-old lady. According to reports, another charge of a similar nature was taken into consideration before finalizing the sentence.
During the hearing, Cubong tried to reduce the gravity of sentence stating that he is a married person and a father of two. Cubong added that he has been working in Singapore for the past seven years, and is the sole breadwinner of the family.
As per Singaporean law, the crime committed by Cubong can fetch him a punishment of up to two years in jail, fine and caning.
Details of the incident
The incident associated with the case happened on September 16, 2017. At that time, Cubong was working as a retail executive at a Guardian Pharmacy outlet. The victim, whose name cannot be revealed, worked as his subordinate as a part-time sales assistant.
At about 2 PM, the lady came to the storeroom to clock her timesheet, and at that time, Cubong was also present there. When the woman was about to step out, the accused stopped her and asked her to come back to the storeroom. Trying to convince the victim, Cubong claimed that he called her to seek apologies for a kiss he had given her without her consent a month back.
While seeking apologies, Cubong was about to cry and seeing this, the woman hugged her and gave a pat on Cubong's shoulders to comfort him. At this juncture, Cubong asked permission to give a kiss on her lips, but she refused. This irritated the convict, and he forcefully planted a kiss on her lips.
The shell-shocked woman left the storeroom in no time, and soon she informed her boyfriend. Later, they contacted the Police and lodged a complaint.
