Molestation charge withdrawn against former NUS Tembusu College lecturer Jeremy Fernando

SINGAPORE — A molestation charge against a former National University of Singapore (NUS) lecturer who was sacked over sexual misconduct allegations has been withdrawn.

Dr Jeremy Fernando, 44, was on Monday (Jan 29) granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal. He had been charged with using criminal force on a woman by kissing her on her lips at about 4am on Jul 4, 2020.

In a statement to CNA on Tuesday through his lawyers, Mr R Thrumurgan and Ms Tan Jun Yin of Trident Law, Dr Fernando said: “I am thankful for the outcome and grateful for all the support of family and friends over these last few years.”

Dr Fernando was originally set to go to trial in February.

He was formerly a lecturer at Tembusu College and was dismissed in October 2020 after NUS made a police report about him allegedly behaving “inappropriately” as a member of its teaching staff and “(falling) short of the standards of professionalism that the university expects”.

For molestation, he could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or given any combination of these punishments.

A spokesperson for the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) told CNA on Tuesday that the prosecution “acceded” to Dr Fernando’s request to have the matter compounded.

This was after reviewing “the facts and circumstances of the case, as well as with the victim’s agreement”, the spokesperson said.

Under the law in Singapore, certain offences can be compounded if the accused pays an undisclosed sum to the alleged victim.

After the composition was paid, the court granted Dr Fernando a discharge amounting to an acquittal.

This means he cannot be charged again over the same offence.

According to the Criminal Procedure Code, if a person has already been charged in court over the offence, it can only be compounded with the consent of the public prosecutor on the conditions the prosecution imposes.

When asked to comment, NUS declined. In a previous media statement in 2020, NUS had said that Dr Fernando was dismissed after an internal investigation found him to have “fallen short of the standards of professionalism that the university expects of a teaching staff”. WITH CNA

CNA Editor’s note: The headline and article have been updated to make it clear that the charge against Jeremy Fernando was withdrawn. This amounted to an acquittal, but it followed the composition of the charge rather than a court judgment.