Most couples hope that their wedding day will be smooth sailing and that their family and friends will be by their side to celebrate their joyous occasion.
But what if that ‘friend’ ends up molesting the one you have just said ‘I do’ to?
Groomsman Allegedly Molested Bride On Wedding Night; Couple Got Divorced Shortly
Unfortunately, what was supposed to be the best day of their lives turned into a downright nightmare for this newlywed couple.
The bride ended up accusing her husband’s close friend and groomsman of molesting her.
That friend is now on trial for allegedly violating her sexually in the hotel wedding suite.
However, the accused claims that he thought that the alleged victim was his own wife and that he believed he was sleeping next to her at home.
The accused who is now aged 40 is contesting the two charges.
The first charge is of him fondling the 37-year-old woman’s breast underneath her nightgown and second, sexually assaulting her.
They can’t be named due to a court order to protect her identity. The hotel’s name and the date they got married in 2016 cannot be revealed either.
It is understood that the married couple is undergoing divorce proceedings which began this year.
The Husband’s Take
The wife had testified behind closed doors on Monday and Tuesday morning. Separately, the husband revealed more about what exactly went down that day.
The husband testified that the two men have been colleagues and close friends for around eight years before the wedding day.
They had meals and drinking sessions at bars often, along with their friends.
The accused is said to have a high alcohol tolerance and only occasionally drank until he passed out.
One of the accused’s duties during the wedding banquet held in the evening was to “help” the husband drink alcohol whenever guests gave them toasts so he wouldn’t be too inebriated.
He also testified that after the banquet was over, some of the 10 groomsmen, including the accused and some bridesmaids brought the leftover alcohol to the wedding suite and carried on drinking there.
Bride Did Not Join In But Went To Sleep
Instead of joining in on the celebrations after the banquet, the bride went to sleep.
The husband, however, drank with the others as he felt that they were his guests and thus, could not “possibly just leave them there”.
The accused then became drunk and lost consciousness by slumping on a sofa and falling asleep.
The others had tried to wake the accused but were not able to.
The husband also said that he was pretty drunk then so he slept on the two-seater sofa which was placed beside the sofa the accused was sleeping on.
“I was also pretty drunk then, so I slept on the two-seater sofa beside the one he was sleeping on,” the husband said.
Wife Woke Him Up Later Saying The Accused Had Molested Her
His wife later woke him up to tell him that she had been molested by the accused.
“I asked her what she meant by that. She told me that he went into the bedroom, stood beside her and molested her by touching the upper and lower part of her body,” he added.
He then looked for his friend and saw him standing near the bed topless.
When asked what had happened, the accused said he had touched her on the upper part of her body.
“After that, he apologised. He said that he was sorry and hugged me. I pushed him away and there was some other commotion… shortly afterwards, I chased him out of the room because I was angry and I didn’t want to see him there.”
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The husband also testified that at the time, the accused could “communicate intelligently” and walk properly.
Although he was angry at the accused, he did not want to assault him as they were friends.
“He said he thought he was sleeping at home and touched her breast… I’m instructed that you told her to keep quiet, then turned to (the accused) and said, ‘You go back, I will settle with her’ in Mandarin,” the lawyer added.
The husband and the accused are no longer on talking terms, partly because the investigation officer told them not to contact each other.
The trial is scheduled to resume on Wednesday. One of the bridesmaids will take the stand.
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If convicted of molestation, the accused could be jailed up to two years, fined, caned, or any combination of the three.
If convicted of sexual assault by penetration, he could be jailed up to 20 years and fined or caned.
