A man who ran an Orchard Road massage parlour molested his part-time employee in 2011 and fled to Tanzania before returning to Singapore seven years later. Court documents did not state why the offender, now 43, came back in 2018, but he was caught and later claimed trial to one count of molestation.

District Judge Marvin Bay found him guilty of molesting the woman and sentenced him to 13 months' jail on Monday. The man cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the victim's identity.

Referring to her only as Ms C, Judge Bay said the man had employed the woman to sell Merlion keychains. During the trial, Ms C testified that she was alone with her boss in the shop at around 9.45pm on Feb 22, 2011, when he offered her a permanent position as his assistant.

After Ms C declined the offer, the court heard, the man noted that she had a tummy and told her he had equipment in the shop that could help tone her abdomen.

He then placed a belt-like device around her waist, switched on a machine and told her the device was supposed to emit heat.

Ms C added that after the man applied some oil onto her tummy, she told him she had a back problem. On hearing this, he asked her to lie face down on a "magnetic bed" which could "improve blood circulation", and she complied.

The court heard that he pinned Ms C down and molested her soon after.

A struggle ensued and when she pushed him off, she noticed that he was clad in only his underwear.

Ms C testified that when she tried to leave, she realised that the shop's glass doors were locked.

She asked the man to open them and they left the premises at the same time. She later met a male friend and told him about her ordeal.

During the trial, the offender told the court that Ms C was the one who had made a move on him, causing him to become aroused.

He also claimed that there was "no pushing or struggling" during the "intimate interaction".

The court heard that Ms C did not immediately alert the police about what had happened as the offender's mother had asked her to excuse her son. But she changed her mind after learning about the mother's death, reportedly by suicide, later that year.

She finally lodged a police report on Nov 9, 2011, the court heard.

The man is also accused of molesting a second victim and the pre-trial conference for this case will be held on July 21.