• NUS said it had to wait for the completion of court proceedings before gathering facts of case  
• It has received feedback in recent days concerning the off-campus incident
• There are two online petitions calling for the student to face stiffer penalties 

SINGAPORE — A student from the National University of Singapore (NUS) who was convicted of choking his ex-girlfriend and pressing her eye has been suspended and barred from entering the university campus, while the school conducts its disciplinary proceedings. 

In a statement put up on its Facebook page on Monday (July 20), NUS said that it does not have the jurisdiction to investigate matters beyond the university.

“As such, NUS had to wait for the completion of the court proceedings to gather the facts of the case. We will now move to close this case as quickly as we can.”

The university said that it has received feedback in recent days concerning the off-campus incident and “stands strongly against any form of misconduct”.

It added that students who breach the NUS Statutes and Regulations face severe sanctions including suspension and expulsion.

For voluntarily causing hurt to his 21-year-old ex-girlfriend, second-year dentistry student, Yin Zi Qin, was sentenced last Friday to a 12-day short-detention order, 80 hours of community service and a five-month day-reporting order.

These community-based sentences mean that the 23-year-old will not have a criminal record after he successfully completes them.

Since the sentencing, there has been discontent online, with two petitions calling for Yin to face stiffer penalties. The petitions have a total of 20,000 signatures as of Monday evening. 

Students for a Safer NUS, a student-run group directly supported by the university’s victim care unit, also took to its social media accounts on Monday to highlight the issue.

“We are dissatisfied with the verdict of this case as it sets a dangerous precedent for excusing one’s actions based on their current position, be it academically or societally.

“Not only does such a precedent trivialise domestic violence as a minor offence, it emboldens abusers who may expect mild consequences for their extensively harmful actions,” the group wrote.

It added that survivors of such assault might avoid seeking help under the impression that the case “will not be regarded with proper consideration and empathy”.

ABOUT THE CASE

In May last year, Yin choked the victim after she refused to reconcile with him, following the end of their two-year relationship.

Yin, who entered the victim’s house with an access card she had given him previously, also pressed his thumb against her left eye, causing it to bleed. 

She struggled but blacked out and found herself on the floor when she regained consciousness.

Yin was later pinned down by the victim’s stepfather.

She was taken to the hospital and had a blurred vision and abrasions on her neck. There was a temporary impairment to her vision and a prolonged eye infection.

District Judge Marvin Bay said in an earlier hearing that Yin was not suitable for probation but that his “relative youth”, rehabilitative prospects and lack of previous convictions made community-based sentences a viable option.

The judge also said he was satisfied that Yin "is not at high risk of reoffending". 

For voluntarily causing hurt, he could have been jailed up to two years, fined a maximum of S$5,000, or both.