Former Singapore Idol Judge Ken Lim Faces A New Charge Again; Now There Are Allegedly 5 Victims

Many of us remember former Singapore Idol judge Ken Lim Chih Chiang for his curt critique and deadpan delivery.

Recently, Lim has become famous for something else.

Or should I say infamous?

On 20 September 2023, 59-year-old Lim was handed one more charge of insulting a woman’s modesty.

Ken Lim Handed One More Charge

Lim is accused of insulting a woman’s modesty on six counts.

He is also accused of one count of molestation.

There are now five alleged victims.

Lim allegedly committed the offences when he was the executive director of record label Hype Records.

His latest charge is related to an incident dating back to 25 July 2012.

It occurred around 7 pm when he was at the company’s business address in Henderson Road.

He allegedly uttered some questionable words to a woman.

He apparently said, “Are you a virgin… What if I have sex with you right now?”

He was reportedly discussing a music career with the woman when the incident occurred.

His pre-trial conference will be held on 22 September.

Other Charges

Notably, Lim allegedly committed these offences when he was at the peak of his popularity.

Between 1998 and 1999, Lim allegedly played his first alleged victim a pornographic video.

The incident occurred at his home.

The video showed a woman engaging in sexual intercourse with multiple men.

This wasn’t the only alleged incident to occur during this period.

Another incident allegedly happened at the Hype Records office during the same period.

Lim allegedly told the same woman that she was sexually inexperienced and said he could help her with this.

Between 1992 and 2002, at the record label’s office, he apparently asked a second alleged victim whether she was a virgin.

He purportedly questioned how she could write deeper songs if she was sexually inexperienced and asked if he could be her first sexual partner.

He also asked how she pleasured herself sexually.

During that period, he also apparently asked the second alleged victim to write out her sexual fantasies as “homework”.

He also proposed that he be her sexual partner to fulfil these fantasies.

In 2013, another alleged incident occurred at Hype Records.

Lim allegedly told a third person that if she could have sex for nothing, why not have sex for something.

He also allegedly made the suggestive gesture of unbuckling his belt and removing his belt strap.

Molestation Charge

In March 2023, it was reported that Lim was charged with molestation.

The alleged incident happened on 23 November 2021, where he apparently molested a 25-year-old woman.

He allegedly touched her breast via skin-to-skin contact.

The victim remains unnamed due to a gag order.

He was represented by Mr Navin Naidu, partner at Dentons Rodyk & Davidson, and was accompanied by his wife, former recording artiste Judy Jsu.

The pair met over 37 years ago and have two sons.

According to Mr Naidu, Lim denied the allegations and maintained his innocence.

Mr Naidu also applied for Lim to travel to Phuket, Thailand, from 25 May to 4 June.

The purpose of the business trip was for Lim to settle some “property management issues”.

He was granted permission to leave Singapore, subject to an additional bail of $10,000 and Lim providing a complete travel itinerary to the authorities before leaving the country.

The bailor was an elderly man.

The court was told that the elderly man was Lim’s good friend.

Who is Ken Lim?

Lim is best known for being the chief judge on the reality singing show Singapore Idol from 2004 to 2009.

He was known for his deadpan expression and bluntness.

Essentially, he was known as the Simon Cowell of Singapore Idol.

He set up Hype Records in 1992.

The company became one of the most established labels in Singapore.

Local artistes under the label include actresses Chen Liping and Phyllis Quek.

Taufik Batisah, the first winner of Singapore Idol, is also under the company.

Lim was also an influential figure in developing the careers of other artistes like Jeanette Aw and Rui En.

Jeanette Aw was managed by Hype Records from 2002 to 2017 before she left the label.

Rui En was under Hype Records from 2002 till 2021 before leaving to become a self-managed artiste.

In early interviews, she credited Lim for being a mentor to her.

After Singapore Idol ended, Lim created another reality singing competition called The Final 1.

He was a judge on the show for its first and second seasons in 2013 and 2015, respectively.

Lim Still Denies Allegations

Regarding this new charge, Lim was defended by lawyers from WongPartnership, comprised of Senior Counsel Tan Chee Meng, Mr Paul Loy and Mr Calvin Ong.

In a statement to Channel News Asia, WongPartnership said their client had made his intention to contest the allegations clear.

The lawyers wrote that the prosecution repeatedly indicated it was not ready to proceed.

They also said that the prosecution kept adding charges instead.

They noted that all charges allege that modesty had been insulted, emphasising that the alleged incidents occurred ten to 20 years ago.

The lawyers added that Lim has continued to deny the allegations and is “disappointed” that the prosecution repeatedly delayed trial dates.

They reiterated that Lim will continue to contest the allegations in court.

Lim could face up to a year in jail and fined for each count of insulting a woman’s modesty.

For the molestation charge, an offender can be jailed for up to two years, fined, or caned.

The offender can also receive a combination of such punishments.

However, Lim is over 50 years old, meaning he cannot be caned.