An aesthetic doctor hounded his former girlfriend incessantly as their relationship broke down over a period of around one year.
His actions culminated in an attack in which he violently forced her into his car in a public area and restrained her against her will.
On Aug 5, Chua Cheng Yu, 40, was convicted after he pleaded guilty to four charges – the use of criminal force; causing intentional harassment, alarm and distress; voluntarily causing hurt; and unlawful restraint.
He will return to court on Oct 1 to be sentenced.
Chua had met his former girlfriend, identified in court documents as Zhang, at Veritas Medical Aesthetics, the clinic he founded and worked at. He is still listed as a doctor on its website.
Zhang joined the clinic in 2021 as a manager.
The following year, she and Chua entered into a romantic relationship, which was plagued with constant quarrels and disagreements, according to court documents.
Zhang tendered her resignation some time in March 2023, amid a souring relationship with Chua.
On April 1 that year, at around 8pm, he went to her apartment, forced his way inside when she opened the door, and began to throw items around her house.
Chua believed that she was cheating on him, and decided to take her laptop and hair dryer in the midst of the argument.
During the scuffle, he pushed her, causing her head to hit a wall. He then left the apartment with the items.
Around an hour later, he returned to her apartment to ask her to reconsider her resignation, but became angry when she did not reply.
He then left again before returning once more after 10pm. They started arguing again, and Chua snatched her phone and a remote control to the gate of her condominium.
During another scuffle, Zhang fell backwards and hit her head on the floor after Chua pushed her. He then drove off with her items in his car.
Chua returned to her residence at midnight and asked her to meet at the lobby of the condominium so he could return her phone, in exchange for her house key. He ran away after receiving the house key.
On May 24, 2023, Chua picked up Zhang after a dinner to take her home. When they arrived at her place, he said he wanted to “secure their relationship” by keeping some of his belongings at her place. He also requested that she store some of her belongings at his house.
Zhang turned down his requests and quickly left his car to go back to her apartment.
Angered, Chua began to message and call her multiple times on Telegram. When he did not get a response, he messaged her through a mobile game, threatening to share intimate photos of her.
On March 1, 2024, Zhang received and ignored several calls at her new company from Chua.
At around 10pm, she left the office and had just stepped out onto the street outside International Plaza when Chua pulled up in his car.
He got out of his car to talk to her despite multiple rejections, before crying and begging for her to get into his car.
When she continued to reject his entreaties, Chua became angry and grabbed Zhang in a bear hug to carry her to his car.
He managed to shove her into the car and slammed the door shut before speeding off.
The entire altercation, recorded on public closed camera television (CCTV) and by his own in-car camera, was played in court on Aug 5.
Footage showed she made an attempt to escape from his car by crawling out of a window when he stopped at a traffic junction, but Chua managed to pull her back in before speeding off again.
She then told him that she needed to feed her cats at home, and he agreed to drive to her apartment.
When they were close to her apartment, Zhang managed to jump out of a car window when he was preoccupied with her phone, and ran across the road to her condo.
CCTV footage from the condo showed Chua sprinting after her and tackling her to the ground, before dragging her across the road back towards his car.
After struggling, Zhang got free of Chua’s grip and ran to a condo security guard, who shielded her from Chua. Chua then quickly returned to his car and drove off with her belongings still in it.
She suffered multiple abrasions and bruises on her body as a result of the abduction.
Chua was found and arrested at the basement of a hotel in Novena at 3.14am on March 2, 2024.
Court documents show Chua was later diagnosed with major depressive disorder, but the prosecution said he was of sound mind when the abduction was carried out.
A report on suitability for a mandatory treatment order has been called for Chua, which means he will undergo treatment for his mental conditions in lieu of jail time if he is found suitable.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Benjamin Low said the prosecution would be seeking a compensation order, with the quantum to be derived from medical bills that the victim incurred due to the incident.
The victim has also submitted her own compensation claim.
Andrew Wong for The Straits Times
Doctor admits to hounding, abducting ex-girlfriend off the street
