Former local footballer, married with kids, found guilty of molesting Tinder date's friend

Former local footballer, married with kids, found guilty of molesting Tinder date's friend
PHOTO: The Straits Times

A married former football player met a woman on online dating platform Tinder and the pair went clubbing with one of her friends in 2018.

But the fun and merriment ended in horror and fear for the date's friend when Mohammad Imran Sahib Mohamed Ibrahim Sahib, 38, took the two women home in his car.

After his date alighted at her destination, Imran, who had played for Tampines Rovers and Home United football teams, among others, told the victim, then aged 21, to sit in the front passenger seat.

The father of three then molested her as they were travelling along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6.

She, however, managed to escape, fleeing barefooted when he stopped the car to relieve himself by the side of a road, a district court heard during the trial.

Imran denied molesting her but District Judge Kan Shuk Weng on Thursday (Oct 22) found him guilty on two counts of molestation. She also convicted him on one count of using criminal force on the woman.

He was offered bail at $5,000 and will be sentenced on Nov 13.

For each count of molestation, he can be jailed up to two years and fined or caned.

The victim and her friend cannot be named owing to a gag order by the court.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Chee Ee Ling, in her submission to the court, said the crime took place on March 4, 2018, after the trio had left a club called Baliza in Raffles Boulevard around 6am.

As they neared Imran's car, his date threw up and as her friend expressed concern for her, he grabbed and kissed the victim on the lips.

Despite being molested, the victim went into the car as she did not want to leave her unwell friend alone with Imran.

DPP Chee further told the court that after getting out of Imran's car in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6, the "terrified" victim "walked barefooted to (her friend's block of flats) for about 1 ½ km. In the victim's haste, she left her high-heeled shoes in the accused's car".

She reached the void deck at 7.17am and waited till around 8am before taking a taxi home.

She told her sister what had happened but did not make a police report until 16 days later, on March 20, 2018, as she was initially worried that Imran would hurt her, DPP Chee said.

The DPP also said that since the incident, the victim "had nightmares of people raping her and there was once she dreamt that she committed suicide".

"To this day, it is clear the victim is still traumatised by her ordeal, as she appeared visibly upset and broke down four times while testifying in court," the DPP added.

Imran, represented by lawyer Revi Shanker, denied molesting the woman. He claimed she had consumed amphetamine and was acting "strangely", shouting at strangers as the night wore on.

This article was first published in straitstimes.

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