Chinese National Gets Three-Week Jail Sentence for 2018 Serangoon MRT Molestation

By
Zhi Hao
-
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A Chinese national who molested a woman at Serangoon MRT station in 2018 has been sentenced to three weeks’ jail on 7 May 2025.

Having left the country after committing the crime, he was only apprehended in March 2025 when he re-entered Singapore.

Serangoon MRT Molestation Incident Captured on CCTV

On 22 Aug 2018, a 21-year-old woman was walking along the platform at Serangoon MRT station around 6:31pm when Zhang Yang, then 27, used his left forearm to forcefully brush against her groin area over her shorts.

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The woman, who intended to travel to Little India, moved away from Zhang and walked toward an area with more commuters.

Zhang, who worked as a construction worker in Singapore at that time, followed her and molested her again at approximately 6:32pm, less than a minute after the first incident.

CCTV footage showed Zhang pacing back and forth on the platform while occasionally staring at the woman, who periodically turned to monitor his location out of concern for her safety.

When the train arrived, Zhang waited for other passengers to board before entering through the same door as the woman.

The woman sat between two passengers while Zhang initially stood in front of her before sitting a few spaces to her left in a reserved seat.

As Zhang repeatedly turned to look at her during the journey, the woman wrote a note on her phone stating: “Can you help me? The man in the striped shirt sitting on the reserved seat on your left touched me twice and I think he’s following me.”

She showed this note to a male passenger sitting beside her, who asked which stop she would be alighting at and assured her he would stay with her.

Zhang eventually alighted two to three stops after Serangoon station, while the woman remained on the train.

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Later that evening, the woman met her younger sister and boyfriend at Bugis and told them about the incident.

The trio went to Rochor Neighbourhood Police Centre, where the woman filed a police report at approximately 9:36pm.

MRT Molester Arrested at Changi Airport After Returning to Singapore

After the incident, Zhang left Singapore as his work permit had expired.

A police gazette was issued for his arrest, though court documents did not specify how authorities identified him.

Nearly seven years later, on 26 Mar 2025, Zhang, now 34, was arrested at Changi Airport when he returned to Singapore.

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Court documents did not state his reason for re-entering the country.

Following his arrest, Zhang was released on personal bond the next day but was rearrested on 16 Apr as he was unable to raise bail.

He has remained in remand since the second arrest.

During investigations, Zhang claimed he did not recall molesting the woman despite being shown footage of the incidents.

Court Proceedings and Three-Week Jail Sentence for Outrage of Modesty

On 7 May 2025, Zhang pleaded guilty to one count of outrage of modesty, with a second similar charge taken into consideration for sentencing.

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Zhang’s demeanor in court differed markedly from his earlier denial during investigations.

Speaking through a Mandarin interpreter, Zhang told the court he was “very remorseful” about his actions.

He claimed he committed the crime while intoxicated, though he acknowledged this did not justify his behavior.

Zhang pleaded for a lighter sentence, stating this would be his first time in jail and that he needed to care for his elderly parents and children.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jordy Kay responded that there was no evidence to show Zhang had consumed alcohol.

The prosecutor further noted that intoxication would generally be considered an aggravating factor rather than a mitigating one.

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Zhang was ultimately sentenced to three weeks’ imprisonment for the offence.

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Zhi Hao
Email: [email protected]