A 49-year-old man, Xu Lihua (transliteration), a Singapore permanent resident, has been accused of molesting and raping a female client under the pretense of fixing her lights during a house visit in August 2021. Despite facing four charges—including molestation, sexual assault, and rape—he has pleaded not guilty as the case opened in the High Court.
According to the prosecution’s opening statement, the incident traces back to 2015 when Xu first met the woman while carrying out renovation work at her home. From 2015 to 2019, she occasionally contacted him for repair and electrical work. On August 21, 2021—two days before the alleged assault—she sent him a text message saying the kitchen and bathroom lights, as well as a switch, were malfunctioning and asked him to check.
Xu visited her home on August 22 and claimed the issue lay with the wiring in the distribution box (DB box). He quoted a fee of SGD 430 and said he would return the next day with tools to carry out the repair.
On the morning of August 23, Xu returned as promised. While repairing the DB box in the living room, he allegedly hugged the woman from behind. Startled and frightened, she pushed him away and fled to her bedroom, then texted two friends for help, saying she had been forcibly embraced and felt very scared. She also told Xu to complete the job quickly and leave.
About an hour later, Xu informed her that the repair was done and instructed her to test all the switches in the house. As she exited the bathroom to follow his instructions, Xu allegedly pushed her against her dressing table and tried to embrace her again. Despite her repeated resistance and pleas for him to stop, Xu reportedly pushed her onto the bed, lifted her top and bra, molested her breasts, forcibly kissed her, and ultimately raped her.
The prosecution noted that the woman bit Xu’s shoulder in an attempt to stop the assault but was unable to fend him off. Traumatized and in shock afterward, she confided in three friends and recounted the incident.
In statements to the police, Xu admitted the woman had bitten his left shoulder and that he kissed her lips and breasts and had sex with her—but insisted it was consensual.
The prosecution plans to call 26 witnesses, including the victim’s three friends, who are expected to testify that the woman was visibly shaken and distressed after the incident, confirming that the sexual encounter was not consensual. Text messages between her and her friends will also be submitted as crucial evidence.
The trial is ongoing, and the outcome is being closely watched.
