SINGAPORE: Seven years ago, a foreigner molested a woman at Serangoon MRT station and left Singapore without being apprehended.

But Zhang Yang, 34, was arrested upon re-entering the country in March.

The Chinese national was sentenced to three weeks’ jail on May 7 after he admitted to one count of outrage of modesty. A second similar charge was taken into consideration for sentencing.

The offence happened on Aug 22, 2018. Zhang, a construction worker at the time, did not know the 21-year-old victim.

She was at Serangoon MRT station, intending to travel to Little India. As she walked towards one end of the platform while waiting for the train, Zhang walked towards her and brushed his arm against her shorts.

After they crossed paths, he turned and walked back towards her. She immediately moved to an area where more people were standing as she was afraid he would touch her again.

But Zhang followed closely behind her and molested her a second time.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jordy Kay said: “This occurred less than a minute after the first incident. The victim was shocked and felt scared.”

CCTV footage played in court showed Zhang pacing back and forth on the MRT station platform in close proximity to the victim.

He stared at the victim, who periodically turned to monitor his location out of concern about her safety, added DPP Kay.

When they boarded the train, she sat down while he stood in front of her before taking a seat a few spaces to her left.

During the journey, he repeatedly turned to look at her.

Feeling threatened, she wrote a note on her mobile phone and showed it to a male passenger sitting beside her.

It stated: “Can you help me? The man in the striped shirt sitting on the reserved seat on your left touched me twice and I think he’s following me.”

The passenger asked her which stop she was alighting at and said he would stay beside her.

Zhang alighted two to three stops after the Serangoon station, while she remained on the train.

She later told her boyfriend and her younger sister about what happened. She made a police report that night.

Zhang left Singapore shortly after the incident as his work permit had expired. Court documents did not state how the police identified him, but noted that a police gazette was issued for his arrest.

When he returned to Singapore on March 26, 2025, he was arrested at Changi Airport. Court documents did not state his reason for re-entering the country.

DPP Kay said: “During investigations, despite being shown the footage of the above incidents, the accused claimed that he did not recall molesting the victim.”

This was markedly different from his demeanor in court on May 7, as he said in mitigation via a Mandarin interpreter that he was “very remorseful”.

He added that he committed the crime while he was drunk, but said he knew this did not justify his actions.

“This is the first time in my whole life that I’m spending time in jail,” said Zhang, who pleaded for leniency as he has to take care of his aged parents and children.

DPP Kay said there was no evidence of Zhang’s alcohol consumption, and added: “In any event, intoxication would be an aggravating, not mitigating, factor.”