22-3-2025 (SINGAPORE) The High Court has found former digital content creator Lev Panfilov guilty of multiple sexual offences, including rape.
The 28-year-old Russian-born Singapore permanent resident, previously associated with the comedy channel Wah!Banana, encountered his victim through the dating application Tinder. What began as a professional meeting to discuss scriptwriting at a Robertson Quay eatery took a sinister turn when the pair relocated to his shared accommodation.
The victim, a 30-year-old aspiring comedy writer with acting and modelling experience, endured an unprecedented 13-day cross-examination during proceedings that commenced in May 2023. She had initially verified Panfilov’s credentials through his social media presence before agreeing to meet.
Justice Pang Khang Chau delivered a decisive verdict, noting the victim’s testimony as “unusually convincing” with remarkable internal consistency. The court dismissed Panfilov’s defence of consensual relations, highlighting significant discrepancies between his various statements to authorities and his courtroom testimony.
22-3-The prosecution successfully established that the assault occurred after what was meant to be a scriptwriting consultation. Despite initial hesitation to report the incident, influenced by concerns about conviction rates in similar cases, the victim sought medical attention and eventually reported the matter following her mother’s intervention.
The case has highlighted the complexities surrounding sexual assault reporting, with the victim explaining her delayed response stemmed from fears of disbelief and the private nature of the incident. The accused awaits sentencing for two counts of rape, one count of sexual assault by penetration, and one count of outrage of modesty.
This verdict arrives amidst growing discourse on sexual assault cases and their prosecution in Singapore’s judicial system, particularly those originating from dating application encounters.
