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Jean Iau

A senior lawyer in Singapore resigned as vice-president of the city state’s Law Society on Tuesday following a backlash against online comments he made that appeared to victim shame a woman in a rape case.
Chia Boon Teck, also co-managing director of law firm Chia Wong Chambers, had earlier drawn a rebuke from Minister of Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam for the LinkedIn post on a case involving a former actor convicted of raping a woman he met on the dating app Tinder.
“Chia Boon Teck has resigned from council this morning, and the president has accepted his resignation. His resignation takes effect immediately,” the Law Society said in a statement on Tuesday.
Law Society president Lisa Sam hours earlier said she had asked Chia to resign as vice-president and council member.
Controversial comments
Lev Panfilov, a Singapore permanent resident from Russia and a former actor for an online comedy channel, was convicted last week by the High Court of raping, molesting and sexually assaulting a woman he had met online in 2021.
He will be sentenced at a later date. For rape, Panfilov could be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in jail and fined or caned.
In his since-deleted LinkedIn post, Chia raised what he said were questionable points in a local media report on the case, noting the victim’s age and occupation as an actress and model, and stating that she was “not exactly a babe in the woods”.
He also pointed to the charges of two counts of rape and one each of sexual assault by penetration and outrage of modesty, saying: “Wow. Was she awake throughout the marathon?”
In her statement on Tuesday, Law Society president Sam said that the victim’s morality should not have been called into question in this manner. “Such comments and views are also inimical for a person in a position of leadership to espouse,” she said.
Chia’s post drew criticism from women’s rights groups and lawyers, some of whom pressed him for an explanation.
Minister Shanmugam also weighed in, clarifying in a social media post on Monday that Chia’s remarks did not reflect “the norms in Singapore” and that the country was “moving in quite the opposite direction”.

Stefanie Yuen Thio, joint managing partner at TSMP Law Corporation, said in a LinkedIn post that she was “appalled at this attitude from an individual who holds the office of a leader of the Bar”.
“Victim shaming goes against what the Courts have actually said is appropriate cross examination,” wrote Thio in the post that has garnered more than 1,400 reactions.
In December, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said more care and sensitivity was needed in cross-examining victims of sexual offences since there was a need to protect complainants from harassment while safeguarding the accused’s right to a fair trial.
In his post addressing the saga on Monday, Shanmugam said he was surprised to come across those who believe that “when a woman says ‘No’, she does not actually mean ‘No’”.
“Mr Chia has expressed his personal views. But he is also the vice-president of the Law Society,” he said. “And I worry what impact his statement may have on other victims.”
Shanmugam set out how the law and home affairs ministries had made efforts to protect the victims of sexual assault and harassment since 2012, including by repealing a law that allowed defence lawyers to question the moral integrity of victims, abolishing marital immunity for rape and heightened penalties for sexual offences.

“We ought to refrain from typecasting women, who are often victims of sexual assault,” Shanmugam said, adding that lawyers in senior positions “need to be mindful that when we make statements which minimise or dismiss victims’ concerns, that can have a disproportionate impact on other victims – who may then not be willing to report what happened to them”.
In response to questions from This Week in Asia, Chia said the report on the case had raised “many red-flag situations” between the victim and the accused. He said his post was designed to “draw people’s attention to their situational awareness to guard against being assaulted, or being accused of assaulting”.
“I appreciate the perspectives shared regarding my post. As a criminal lawyer, my intent was not to cast blame on any party, but to highlight the importance of situational awareness – both to guard against being assaulted and to avoid actions that could later be misconstrued,” Chia said.
“My comments were meant to encourage reflection on how individuals can better protect themselves in social situations. This is not about shifting responsibility but about understanding real-world risks.”


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This Week in Asia

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The online comments made by Chia Boon Teck, a senior lawyer in Singapore, were denounced as ‘victim shaming’


The online comments made by Chia Boon Teck, a senior lawyer in Singapore, were denounced as ‘victim shaming’.


Crime

Sexual harassment and assault

Singapore Law Society vice-president resigns over rape comments

The online comments made by Chia Boon Teck, a senior lawyer in Singapore, were denounced as ‘victim shaming’

Controversial comments

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