SINGAPORE: Angered after a woman did not like the photos he had taken of her in public, Kim Donghun slipped some medication used to treat erectile dysfunction into her drink before leaving the scene.
When the victim took several sips from her cup, she began feeling giddy and noticed white powder on the plastic cover. She immediately alerted the police.
For his actions last year, Kim, a 33-year-old South Korean, was sentenced to four months’ jail on Tuesday (Mar 12). He pleaded guilty in the State Courts to a charge of causing hurt by means of poison.
He told the court through an interpreter that he did not intend to commit any sexual offences and “could not control his emotions” at the time.
WHAT HAPPENED
The court heard that the incident happened at Trifecta, a sports and lifestyle facility in Somerset that officially opened in October 2023.
On Nov 28, 2023, Kim indulged in his photography hobby and took photos of people surfing at the facility. This included the victim, who was there with her boyfriend and another friend.
She cannot be named due to a court order to protect her identity.
Kim had found her attractive and approached her to show her the photos he had taken, but she was unhappy he had done so without her permission and walked away from him. Her apparent dissatisfaction angered him.
He walked over to the table where she had left her belongings, including a drink from a bubble tea shop. He had earlier dissolved a white tablet in his own bottle which contained water.
Kim then tore a hole in the plastic cover of the victim’s drink and poured this mixture in.
When the victim returned, she noticed the cover was torn but assumed one of her friends was behind this. She drank from the cup and began feeling giddy.
Upon noticing white powder on the cover, she immediately stopped drinking and called the police.
An analysis by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) revealed traces of Tadalafil – a form of medication used to treat erectile dysfunction. It can cause headaches and nausea, and is a scheduled poison under the Poisons Act.
Kim admitted to his offences when he was confronted with closed-circuit television footage.
He told the police he had purchased male enhancement tablets online for his consumption, and dissolved one such tablet in his water bottle and poured the mixture into the victim’s drink out of spite.
“He had been angered by his earlier interaction with the victim and spiked her drink as an act of revenge,” Deputy Public Prosecutor David Menon told the court.
FELT “REMORSEFUL AND GUILTY”
The prosecutor asked for six to eight months’ jail, noting the relatively few aggravating factors in this case.
However, he argued that there was a public interest in preserving trust in the safety of Singapore’s public places.
In mitigation, Kim – who appeared via a video-link from remand – told the court that he left Singapore after committing the offence, but returned on Dec 29 because he felt “remorseful and guilty” back home.
He said he did not think his actions would harm the victim, but acknowledged the side effects of Tadalafil.
He apologised to the victim and Trifecta, expressing his regret and promised not to break the law again in Singapore and South Korea.
“At the time, I could not control my emotions because I couldn’t understand English when I interacted with the victim. I mistook her English, something that angered myself and led me to taking such actions,” he added through the interpreter.
For causing hurt by means of poison, Kim could have been jailed for up to 10 years, as well as fined or caned.
