Woman pursues female colleague for hug and kiss

Woman pursues female colleague for hug and kiss

SINGAPORE - A relief teacher was so enamoured of her female colleague that she harassed her for seven months.

Then Poh Sim Ying, 27, took it a step further.

Too far, as it turned out.

She ended up in court on Wednesday where she pleaded guilty to using criminal force on her former colleague on April 15.

She had pursued the 25-year-old victim from a bus to a taxi and then to a bus stop where she tried to kiss and hug the woman.

Investigations revealed that between September last year and April this year, the victim had made numerous police reports against Poh for harassing her.

ON THE BUS

The drama started at 3pm that day when the two women were on a bus at Commonwealth Avenue West.

Ten minutes into the journey, Poh approached the younger woman and started touching her hair.

She also held on to the woman's hands, and tried to hug her by placing her arm around the victim's waist.

Out of fear, the younger woman asked the bus driver for help. He stopped the bus for her to exit, but Poh jumped off as well.

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IN A TAXI

The victim then flagged down a taxi and got in. But before it could move off, Poh forced her way in.

The cabby was having none of it and told the women to get out of his cab.

AT THE BUS STOP

Poh continued to follow the victim as they walked along Commonwealth Avenue West.

The victim had little choice but to whip out a personal alarm that her brother had given her. She activated it, but Poh snatched it from her.

The victim quickly walked towards a bus stop where there were people, hoping Poh would stop pursuing her.

But Poh continued to touch the woman at the bus stop and even tried to kiss her while the victim put up a struggle.

Poh stopped only when the victim's friend arrived to pick her up.

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HER REGRET

Poh wrote a proposed undertaking to stop harassing and contacting the victim and her family, her lawyer, Mr Louis Joseph, told the court.

In mitigation, Mr Joseph said Poh regretted her actions.

She was presented as a filial daughter, a hard-working student and somebody who had failed to make a distinction between a friend and a lover.

After receiving psychiatric counselling by Dr Y.C. Lim at Raffles Hospital, Poh has "demonstrated better understanding of various types of relationships and how to differentiate and communicate with the intended partner, whether platonic or erotic in nature".

She had always wanted to be a teacher, and is now struggling with depression since losing her job.

Poh, who has long hair and wears glasses, was dressed in a brown top and khaki-coloured trousers in court on Wednesday.

She was accompanied by her mother.

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Female predators likely abused as children

Poh Sim Ying was not charged with a sex-related offence.

But she had resorted to criminal force to try to get her way with her former colleague and ended up in court.

Other women have also ended up in court for being sex predators, picking on victims who were younger and defenceless.

BOLDER

Dr Thomas Lee, consultant psychiatrist of The Resilienz Mind clinic, said: "The overall rise in women's status in our society, as well as the increasing amount of female dominance and female sexual aggression in the media could have led to today's women feeling bolder and more dominant towards those who are viewed as sexually vulnerable and weak.

"Female sex predators typically have a history of childhood physical or sexual abuse.

"They are also likely to have a history of drugs and alcohol abuse.

"Very often, they suffer from psychopathologies like depression and personality disorders. Most have professional employment. "Compared to male sex offenders, female sex predators tend to use less violence and physical force towards their victims," said Dr Lee.

Psychologist Daniel Koh said their victims tend to be passive characters, so the relationship is often like that between a bully and victim. He said the predator would continue to wear down her target because she is in a position of control.

"Unless someone puts a stop to it, she may continue until she has had enough," Mr Koh said.

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FEMALE PREDATORS

MARCH 2013

A primary school teacher, 32, had sex with one of her pupils, then 13, four times, oral sex once, and committed an obscene act with him once between May 2011 and July 2011.

The married mother of three was jailed for a year.

OCTOBER 2012

A teacher in a top school, 32, had sex with a student, then 15, a total of nine times between December 2011 and January last year. The boy became close to the married mother of two shortly after a boating accident during a student leaders' camp in Bintan in October 2011.

She was jailed for a year.

JUNE 2010

An Indonesian maid, 27, had sex with her employer's 11-year-old son, barely five months after she began working for the household. When the boy turned 12, they had sex again. She was jailed for three years.

APRIL 2009

A divorcee had sex with a boy, 13, in her flat on several occasions in May 2008.

The boy's mother was helping her to look after her 14-month-old child while she was at work as a canteen assistant. The woman was jailed for 10 months.

FEBRUARY 2009

A former primary school teacher, 31, had sex with a boy, then 15, six times - twice in her flat and four times in a chalet - between March and May 2008.

They had met during an overseas trip when he was still in Primary 6 in her school. The married woman was the first woman in Singapore to be taken to court for the offence. She was jailed for 10 months.

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