Loh Chan Pew molest case: Court finds new evidence had no effect on earlier guilty verdict
A district court on Wednesday (Feb 9) found that new evidence raised by the defence counsel of veteran athletics coach Loh Siang Piow had no effect on the court's earlier guilty verdict.
Loh, 77, better known in the fraternity as Loh Chan Pew, faced two charges of using criminal force on a female athlete when she was 18 by rubbing her genitals on two occasions while massaging the back of her thighs.
Both incidents were said to have happened at the old Tampines Stadium on two Sundays between January and March 17 in 2013.
He was sentenced to 21 months' jail on July 22, 2020, after a trial which began in 2018.
However, the High Court sent the case back to trial after his lawyer said new evidence had emerged that would show that Loh had learnt of the identities of his accusers through the police investigation officer.
A new witness, former athlete Ms Amelia Monteiro, 27, gave evidence that she had overheard a phone conversation between Inspector Goh Teck Heng and Loh in which the latter mentioned the word "molest" and the names of the victims.
On Wednesday, District Judge Marvin Bay said in his findings that Ms Monteiro's account had "inconsistencies...(and) should be treated with caution".
The judge pointed out that Loh, in his testimony, had not mentioned saying the word "molest" during phone conversations with the officer on July 31, 2016.
Furthermore, Ms Monteiro never directly heard the caller's voice over the two phone calls, said the judge, who added: "Given these limitations she merely extrapolated."
Loh is appealing both his conviction and sentence and his case will be heard by the High Court at a later date.
During the trial in 2018, the prosecution had argued that the coach knew the identity of his accusers before he provided statements to the police, and that he also revealed who they were to others in the sports fraternity to press them into dropping the case.
Loh maintained during the trial that this was not true, and claimed he had learnt who they were through Inspector Goh.
However, the officer testified that he did not tell Loh the names of the teenagers.
Loh, a former deputy superintendent of prisons, was a former national sprinter and coach of 35 years. He was also previously vice-president of Singapore Athletics, which governs the sport here.
For each charge of outrage of modesty, Loh could have been jailed for up to two years or fined. He cannot be caned as he is more than 50 years old.
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