Ex-S’pore Idol judge Ken Lim found not guilty of insulting woman’s modesty

Former Singapore Idol judge Ken Lim, 60, was acquitted on Dec 11 of insulting a woman’s modesty in an incident which happened 12 years ago.

Lim was then the executive director of record label Hype Records.

After a trial, District Judge Wong Peck found him not guilty of uttering sexually inappropriate words to the woman at Hype Records’ premises in Henderson Road on July 25, 2012.

During the trial, the woman, who was 25 then and is now a singer-songwriter based overseas, accused Lim of asking her if she was a virgin. He was also accused of uttering the words: “What if I have sex with you right now?”

Details about the woman cannot be disclosed due to a gag order.

Delivering her verdict on Dec 11, the judge found that the complainant was not a credible witness and had embellished her evidence.

She noted that in the woman’s first report to the authorities, she had stated that the “insulting words” had left her traumatised and uncomfortable. In court, the woman also claimed that she was traumatised, in a blur and was in “survival mode”.

District Judge Wong said: “However, I found that she was not traumatised nor was she in a blur after (a second meeting with Lim).

“As rightly pointed out by the defence, after the alleged incident on the night itself, she replied in a cheerful tone to her fans, thanking them for their appreciation of her singing. The complainant agreed in court that she made ‘quite a lot’ of replies to her fans via Twitter.”

The judge also found that the woman had a motive to make her allegations against Lim, as she was hurt by his criticisms of her singing and songwriting.

District Judge Wong said: “During cross-examination, she admitted that she seemed to take criticism very badly about her songs and singing... Although she initially denied that she was looking for the accused to sign her to a recording contract, she subsequently admitted that she had nurtured a ‘small hope’ that she might secure a recording contract.”

The judge noted that a blog written on Oct 3, 2016, revealed that the woman was sensitive about negative comments about her singing and songwriting. This was because she would put her heart and soul into her songs, so it “really stings when people comment... negatively. Because it feels so personal”.

Lim is represented by a legal team from WongPartnership, led by Senior Counsel Tan Chee Meng.

Following the verdict on Dec 11, Lim, who spoke through his lawyers, said: “I am very happy with the outcome. I would especially like to thank my wife and my two boys, and all my friends, for solidly standing by me.”

He also thanked Mr Tan and lawyers Paul Loy and Samuel Navindran for “having faith” in him.

Lim, who testified in July, had told the court that he criticised only the woman’s ability to succeed in the music industry, which made her upset.

He had told District Judge Wong: “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.

“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.”

Lim testified that he had arranged to meet the woman in 2012 as a favour to his close friend, who was her family friend. The friend knew that the woman wanted to join the music industry and hoped Lim could help her.

The pair 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 alleged that 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 and told the court that “innocent music” sells better in Asia, given the culture here. 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 that she claimed 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.”

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

Lim had testified that 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.”

Lim faces six other charges allegedly involving four more women.

He is alleged to have insulted the modesty of three of them, and is accused of molesting a woman at the Hype Records office in Henderson Road on Nov 23, 2021.

The cases will be dealt with at a later date.

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

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