VICTIM’S FATHER TESTIFIES
The victim’s father took the stand on Friday afternoon to testify that his daughter had told him about the incident.
“(The alleged victim) met up with Ken Lim and there was some discussion of sexual matters, and she was very upset about it and then she came home and told us at the dining table, that was about it,” the man said during the prosecution’s examination of him.
Asked to elaborate, the man said he could not recall the exact words Lim had allegedly said, but that his daughter had been “very upset” when she spoke to him and his wife.
Under cross-examination by Mr Loy, it emerged that the alleged victim had been introduced to Lim through a family friend.
The defence then alleged that this family friend had not been told about the supposed sexual remarks.
Mr Loy’s argument was that the family had never raised the matter with the family friend as it had never happened.
“I suggest to you that you never raised the matter with (the family friend) because the truth is at that time (the alleged victim) had never said that Mr Lim had said to her ‘What if I had sex with you right now’ or words to that effect,” said Mr Loy.
Disagreeing, the father said: “I did not tell him because we are good friends, we don’t want to upset anybody.”
Mr Loy then said: “I put it to you that (the alleged victim) had been upset after the meeting with Mr Lim because he had criticised her music and her singing, and had told her that she did not have what it takes to be a singer.”
The father replied: “I mean that’s your opinion.”
“It is indeed my case … you see, (the woman) has told us that Mr Lim had criticised her music, her lyrics and her singing at the meeting,” Mr Loy replied.
“So I’m putting it to you that (the woman) was upset after the meeting because Mr Lim had criticised her music, her lyrics and her singing.”
The witness disagreed.
The defence then submitted an application to impeach the father’s credibility as a witness and was allowed to cross-examine the witness about material inconsistencies between his testimony, a police statement he gave in August last year and the alleged victim’s testimony.
These include details such as where the woman had spoken to her father about the alleged incident, and who she had spoken to.
If the impeachment is successful, the court may choose not to rely on his testimony when it comes to a decision on its verdict.
The first tranche of the trial came to an end with the alleged victim’s father completing his testimony. The next tranche is fixed for July.
