Hotel Employee Charged for Sexually Assaulting Female Tourist at a Bugis Hotel

By
Loh Huey Xin
-
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A female tourist reported to police after being sexually assaulted at a hotel in Bugis, resulting in the arrest and charging of a hotel employee.

The hotel stated they have fired the employee involved and will strengthen staff management.

Here’s what happened.

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The Assault and Aftermath

The tourist posted multiple messages on social media on Sunday (23 March), claiming that at around 4:00 PM last Saturday (22 March), she was sexually assaulted by a hotel employee at The Room@Bugis.

She reported being forcibly kissed and groped, then dragged to a bed where she was nearly raped, but managed to escape by fighting back with all her strength.

In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao, the tourist revealed she arrived in Singapore alone on 16 March and stayed at this hotel on her first day.

She switched to another hotel temporarily but returned last Saturday, planning to fly home at 2:00 PM on Tuesday (25 March).

She told reporters that the hotel mainly caters to backpackers, with rooms accommodating 16 to 20 people each.

The entire hotel had only one staff member on duty, and beds were separated only by semi-transparent curtains, offering no privacy.

Tourist Suffers Psychological Trauma

She recalled feeling helpless and terrified after the incident. After calming down, she reported to the police and moved to another hotel.

“I couldn’t sleep all night. To prevent more women from becoming victims, I decided to speak up and post on social media.”

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The incident caused her psychological trauma. She plans to see a therapist when she returns home and will not travel abroad for some time.

The tourist said she discovered that as early as 11 December last year, someone had posted comments on a platform claiming they were sexually harassed by staff who offered free rooms.

Some users even claimed they were attacked by hotel staff after filing complaints.

Hotel: Strengthening Security Measures and Staff Management

Hotel manager Lin Junjie (name transliterated from Mandarin) responded to Lianhe Zaobao’s inquiries, saying the hotel immediately fired the employee involved and contacted the victim to provide necessary help and support.

Lin said the hotel has implemented stricter background checks on employees and introduced body cameras to better protect guests and staff.

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Additionally, the hotel will conduct more frequent random checks and performance evaluations to make sure employees meet service standards.

Lin also mentioned that room cleaning staff clean bathrooms and public areas at least twice daily, and the hotel has never had incidents of staff attacking or showing poor behaviour toward guests.

“All female rooms are locked, and female guests receive an unlock password. Staff only enter rooms for cleaning or during emergencies.”

The Singapore Tourism Board, when asked, said they are aware of the matter but cannot reveal more information as the case is still under investigation.

The 41-year-old hotel employee involved, who is a Bangladesh national, was charged in court on Monday (24 March).

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The charge states that on 22 March at 4:22 PM, on Tan Quee Lan Street, he outraged the modesty of a 45-year-old woman, restricted her from leaving, forcibly kissed her and molested her chest, legs, and private parts.

Under Section 354A(1) of the Penal Code, aggravated outrage of modesty is punishable by imprisonment for two to ten years, plus caning.

The case will be heard again on 7 April to complete investigations. The accused was released on SGD$10,000 bail.

To protect the victim, the judge ordered the media not to publish any information that might reveal the victim’s identity.

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Loh Huey Xin