Student allegedly raped another in hostel; 8 sexual misconduct complaints made to NUS from Jan to June

SINGAPORE - The National University of Singapore (NUS) saw eight complaints of sexual misconduct between Jan 1 and June 30.

Three of them involved sexual assault and resulted in one student being expelled.

One of the complaints involved a staff member, NUS said in its half-yearly report on sexual misconduct released last Thursday (Sept 7).

Police reports were lodged in all eight cases.

The report outlines the complaints the university received and the actions taken against the alleged perpetrators, in the hopes of reaffirming its zero-tolerance policy for sexual misconduct and foster a safe environment.

In the earliest complaint it received on Jan 25, a student was alleged to have raped a member of the public outside campus grounds. However, no further action was taken by NUS due to a lack of evidence.

Six days later, NUS received another complaint, this time involving a student who allegedly raped another student while they were in a hostel.

A no-contact order was issued, and the student was expelled with immediate effect, although an appeal is being made against the decision.

Meanwhile, investigations are ongoing into the third sexual assault case, which involved a student allegedly attempting to rape another student off-campus. The student also kept intimate videos and photographs of the victim without the latter's consent.

A no-contact order was issued.

In a separate case involving the same student, it is alleged that the student filmed sexual acts with another without consent and threatened to distribute the footage online. The complaint was filed in April and a no-contact order was issued, with the case pending a hearing by the university's board of discipline.

As for the remaining three complaints involving students, two involved molestation.

On Feb 13, NUS received a complaint that a student had allegedly touched another student inappropriately without consent while they were both outside of campus.

NUS' board of discipline suspended the student for two semesters, barring the student from university premises for the duration of the suspension.

The student was also given 120 hours of community-based sanctions and mandated counselling, and will be permanently banned from on-campus housing during the remaining period of candidature.

Another complaint of molestation received the same month is still being heard before NUS' board of discipline.

No-contact orders were issued in both cases.

A May complaint alleged that a student shared intimate pictures of the victim - a member of the public - online without consent.

The student received a four-semester suspension, along with 120 hours of community-based sanctions and mandated counselling. The student was similarly barred from campus during the period of suspension, as well as on-campus housing premises upon return to school.

As for the complaint involving a staff member, NUS said it did not take further action once investigations were completed in May.

The staff member, who had a purely administrative role with no teaching duties, allegedly molested a member of the public several years ago, but a case could not be established due to limited facts and evidence.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.