Woman fined for molesting female server at nightclub, victim asks for compensation

The victim said she had lost her job as a result of the incident and sought additional compensation.

The offender had drunk alcohol and was dancing in the club when the incident occurred. (File photo: iStock)

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

SINGAPORE: A woman who molested a female server at a nightclub was fined S$2,500 (US$1,950) by a court on Thursday (Oct 29).

The victim, whose identity is protected by a gag order, turned up in court to ask for additional compensation, saying she had lost her job as a result of the incident.

Sonik Archana Susheel, a 32-year-old Indian national, pleaded guilty to one count of molestation.

The court heard that Sonik went to a popular nightspot to meet a friend at around 11pm on Mar 13.

CNA is not naming the club as doing so could lead to the victim's identification.

Sonik had consumed alcohol at home and continued drinking at the club.

After midnight on Mar 14, Sonik was dancing alone when the victim and two of her colleagues walked through the area.

The victim was a "bottle girl", a waitress who specialises in delivering entire bottles of liquor to tables.

She almost collided with Sonik, who was dancing erratically.

Sonik then touched the victim's buttocks and pushed her stomach area before showing her the middle finger.

The victim turned to Sonik and uttered an expletive.

She was distressed by the incident and sought assistance from the bouncers. Her superiors told her to rest in the kitchen and later reported the incident to the police.

Sonik was arrested that same day.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Yohanes Ng sought a fine of S$2,500 for her.

Defence lawyer Ariffin Sha from Shehzhadee Law said the prosecution's position was fair.

He said his client had no prior convictions and had voluntarily paid compensation of S$1,500 to the victim.

"Her actions were entirely out of character," he said. "They were not for the purposes of sexual gratification."

VICTIM ASKS FOR MORE COMPENSATION

The victim attended the court hearing and was asked to come forward.

She confirmed that she had received voluntary compensation of S$1,500 from Sonik, but said she wanted to make a claim for additional compensation.

"As a result of this case, I was subsequently fired from the job," she said, guessing that it was because of the trouble it caused.

She said she was removed from her work group chat a week after the incident and removed from all her "schedules" in the next month.

She lost about six months of income, which amounted to about S$18,000.

"Because of the mental distress that I faced, I subsequently left the whole industry as a whole," said the woman. "Because of this, I actually lost a fair bit of income that's actually helping me sustain my school fees and allowance."

When asked what amount she was seeking, the woman said she was not sure and asked the court for guidance on what a fair amount would be.

When Sonik heard the amount, she covered her mouth with her hands in the dock.

Mr Ariffin said the S$1,500 already paid was for the emotional harm suffered by the victim.

"In respect of the victim's claim for losses arising from the loss of her job, I do have a lot of sympathy for the victim," he said.

"That being said, it's unclear how, there's no clear link between the offence and the loss of the job, and I don't think the compensation order is the appropriate forum for ... recovering damages of this nature," said the lawyer.

Principal District Judge Lee Lit Cheng said there was insufficient evidence for the court to determine the proper compensation amount, if any, to be ordered.

She said this would be more appropriately dealt with in a different forum. As voluntary compensation had already been made, she declined to make any compensation order.

For outrage of modesty, the offender could have been jailed for up to three years, fined, or both. She cannot be caned as she is a woman.

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

受害者称，由于这起事件，她失去了工作，并要求额外赔偿。

事发时，嫌疑人已饮酒，并在夜总会跳舞。（图片来源：iStock）

这段音频是由人工智能工具生成的。

新加坡：一名女子在夜总会猥亵女服务员，周四（10月29日）被法庭罚款2500新元（1950美元）。

受害人的身份受到禁言令保护，她出庭要求额外赔偿，称自己因这起事件失去了工作。

32岁的印度公民Sonik Archana Susheel承认犯有一项猥亵罪。

法庭获悉，3月13日晚上11点左右，索尼克前往一家热门夜总会与朋友见面。

CNA没有透露俱乐部名称，因为这样做可能会导致受害者身份被识别。

索尼克在家喝了酒，然后又在俱乐部继续喝酒。

3 月 14 日午夜过后，索尼克独自一人跳舞，这时受害者和她的两名同事路过该地区。

受害者是一名“送酒女”，专门负责将整瓶酒送到餐桌上的服务员。

她差点和跳舞动作怪异的索尼克撞到一起。

随后，索尼克摸了受害者的臀部，推了推她的腹部，然后向她竖起了中指。

受害者转向索尼克，爆了一句粗口。

她因这起事件感到不安，并向保安寻求帮助。她的上司让她在厨房休息，之后向警方报案。

索尼克当天就被逮捕了。

副检察官 Yohanes Ng 要求对她处以 2500 新元的罚款。

来自 Shehzhadee 律师事务所的辩护律师 Ariffin Sha 表示，检方的立场是公正的。

他说他的当事人没有犯罪前科，并已自愿向受害者支付了 1500 新元的赔偿金。

他说：“她的行为完全不像她平时的作风。她这样做并非出于性满足。”

受害者要求更多赔偿

受害者出席了庭审，并被要求挺身而出。

她证实已收到索尼克提供的 1500 新元自愿赔偿金，但表示她想申请额外赔偿。

“由于这起案件，我随后被解雇了，”她说道，并猜测是因为这件事造成了麻烦。

她说，事发一周后，她被移出了工作群聊，并在接下来的一个月里被从所有“日程安排”中移除。

她损失了大约六个月的收入，相当于约 18,000 新元。

“由于我当时遭受了巨大的精神痛苦，我最终彻底离开了这个行业，”这位女士说。“因此，我实际上损失了相当一部分收入，而这些收入原本可以用来支付我的学费和生活费。”

当被问及她想要获得多少赔偿时，该女子表示她不确定，并请求法庭指导什么是合理的赔偿金额。

索尼克听到金额后，在被告席上用手捂住了嘴。

阿里芬先生表示，已支付的 1500 新元是用于赔偿受害者遭受的精神伤害。

“对于受害者因失业而遭受的损失，我深表同情，”他说。

“话虽如此，目前还不清楚具体情况，犯罪行为与失业之间没有明确的联系，我认为赔偿令并非追回此类损失的合适途径，”律师说道。

首席地方法官李立成表示，没有足够的证据让法院确定是否需要赔偿，以及赔偿金额应该是多少。

她表示此事更适合在其他场合处理。由于已有人自愿赔偿，她拒绝下达任何赔偿令。

因猥亵罪，该罪犯可能被判处最高三年监禁、罚款或两者并罚。由于她是女性，因此不能处以鞭刑。

订阅我们的邮件，即可获取精选热点新闻和引人深思的文章。

订阅通知，第一时间获取突发新闻和精彩报道。

加入我们的频道，即可在您常用的聊天应用上获取当日热门文章。