Ken Lim takes the stand, calls allegations against him 'a blatant lie'

Former Singapore Idol judge Ken Lim called the allegations of him asking sexually inappropriate questions “a blatant lie”, as he took the stand for the first time in the trial.

In his testimony on July 22, which lasted more than four hours, Lim, 60, denied asking a woman, then 26, “Are you a virgin?” and “What if I have sex with you right now?” on July 25, 2012.

Lim, a music producer known for his record label Hype Records, said he had criticised only the woman’s ability to succeed in the music industry, which made her upset.

When asked by his lawyer, Senior Counsel Tan Chee Meng, to respond to the allegations, Lim said: “I am already an established music executive. I’ve been in the business for three decades. I will not leave the fate of my reputation in the hands of a 26-, 27-year-old who cannot (differentiate) between having a future and having none.”

The woman, who cannot be identified due to a gag order, had testified against Lim in May in court proceedings that were closed to the media. She is one of five women who claim to be Lim’s victims. Lim, who faces seven charges – one count of molestation and six counts of insulting modesty – will go through a trial for each victim.

On the stand, Lim said he had arranged to meet the woman in 2012 as a favour for his close friend, who was family friends with her. The friend knew she wanted to join the music industry and hoped Lim could help her.

They first met at the Hype Records office building in Henderson Road on July 19, 2012, where the woman claimed Lim said her music was too innocent.

She said Lim cited local singer-songwriter Corrinne May as an example of how innocent music cannot sell, and that May was “not successful, she’s just a kindergarten teacher”.

Lim refuted this on the stand, saying “innocent music” sells better in Asia given the culture. He added he would never speak ill of May as she was a dear friend and respected musician whom he had mentored for many years.

The woman and Lim met again at the same office six days later. It was at this second meeting where she claims he asked her the two sex-related questions.

Lim called the allegations “more absurd than believable”. He denied asking her if she was a virgin, saying: “I won’t have asked such a question because it would never have crossed my mind.”

He said given the woman’s age, the fact that she had travelled to Europe with her boyfriend and wanted to marry him, “to think she is not intimate... is quite difficult to believe”.

He added that if he had asked such inappropriate questions, the woman would likely tell their mutual friend.

The woman also said Lim pressured her to smoke at the second meeting, while Lim said she asked him for a cigarette.

According to their text exchanges after the meeting, Lim told the woman that she should avoid telling her parents or boyfriend that she was meeting him – which Lim explained in court as a “tongue-in-cheek” remark.

The woman also claimed Lim told her she should “go to the dark side”, meaning to “sleep around, cheat on (her) boyfriend, and take drugs”.

Lim said no record executive would tell an artiste to do so, saying: “This will be scandalous, and no record company will want to deal with scandals because it’s bad for business.”

The defence team said in their opening statement that the woman’s testimony did not corroborate with the evidence given by prosecution witnesses, which included the common friend they had.

The team painted the woman as someone who was upset by criticism, writing: “The fact was that (Lim) was direct and forthcoming in his feedback. And the complainant felt deeply hurt by the truth.”

Lim said on the stand: “I told her that every time she sings, someone would cringe... I explained to her that she needs to have some kind of reality check as far as her songs are concerned.”

The defence suggested previously that the woman reported Lim to the police, as she wanted to “fix” him for not signing her to his label. The woman’s sister refuted this on the stand.

The prosecution said earlier that the woman did not report Lim in 2012 as she had not known that uttering sexually inappropriate words to someone is a crime.

She decided to file a police report on June 28, 2023, after seeing news reports that Lim had been charged over similar offences.

May will testify for the defence about how Lim had helped her. Social service veteran, Mr Gerard Ee, who is a mutual friend of Lim and the woman’s family friend, is also a defence witness.

Lim is set to finish his testimony regarding this alleged victim at his next court appearance on Aug 13.

The trial continues.

Source: Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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