SINGAPORE: Former lawyer Samuel Seow Theng Beng was sentenced to four weeks’ jail and fined S$1,500 on Friday (Oct 28), over an incident in 2018 where he abused employees – including his niece – in a clip that went viral.
It also comes after the Court of Three Judges struck Seow off the rolls over the same incident, after a career of about 20 years.
Seow, 49, had pleaded guilty previously to one charge each of voluntarily causing hurt and using criminal force. Two other charges were taken into consideration.
The incident occurred at Seow’s former law firm in South Bridge Road on Apr 17, 2018.
He forcefully poked an employee’s forehead with his finger and pushed a file she was holding. He also approached his own niece, who worked for him at the time, by grabbing her arm and slapping her.
The incident later went viral due to two leaks: When an audio recording of the incident was leaked in 2018, and when closed-circuit television camera footage capturing the incident was posted on YouTube in 2019.
Seow’s case was protracted, with a series of additional hearings about his mental condition and a change of lawyers midway. In the end, the court declined to impose a mandatory treatment order for him to undergo psychiatric treatment.
Lawyer Edmond Pereira on Friday asked for leniency, saying that “six minutes of sheer madness” have changed Seow’s life.
He said Seow has been “punished with the ultimate in respect of his career”, as he is no longer allowed to practise as a lawyer.
He has faced two actions – one by the Law Society which resulted in his disbarment, and one by the State Courts for the criminal charges, said Mr Pereira.
He added that Seow was subject to cyberbullying.
The prosecution had asked for at least three weeks’ jail and a fine, while the defence asked for one to two weeks’ jail and a fine.
District Judge Ronald Gwee said the case called into sharp focus the relationship between employers and employees.
He said “many of us” may have personally experienced having bosses who are “overbearing, demanding, bad-tempered” or any other negative adjectives.
However, this situation in particular was one where the employer crossed the line and used violence against an employee, said the judge.
Such acts must be condemned, he said.
Seow’s lawyer asked for the jail term to be deferred to early November, saying it was customary for Seow’s family to meet for All Saints’ Day. The judge granted him a deferment to Nov 3.