Acquitted of rape on appeal, ex-Wah!Banana actor reflects on the 3 years lost behind bars
When he first heard about the rape investigation, Mr Lev Panfilov thought it would quickly blow over. Instead, he would take five years to prove his innocence, during which he spent a "dark" time in jail.
Former Wah!Banana actor Lev Panfilov has been acquitted of rape on appeal, ending a five-year ordeal. The Singaporean permanent resident, 30, was initially convicted and sentenced to 11-and-a-half years in prison for four charges of rape, sexual assault, and molestation. The Court of Appeal overturned the convictions, finding reasonable doubt in the prosecution's case due to inconsistencies in the woman's testimony.
Panfilov spent nearly three years in jail before his acquittal on September 2. He and his family reportedly spent around S$500,000 on legal battles, describing it as a traumatic ordeal. The woman involved in the case, a 30-year-old, had initially lodged a police report alleging violent sexual assault. Panfilov and the woman had consensual sex, according to Panfilov, but she later alleged violent sexual assault.
The case involved a gag order on the woman's identity. Panfilov was charged in December 2021 and his trial began in May 2023. He was held in a maximum-security prison for offenders with lengthy sentences, including a four-man cell, a single-man cell, and an eight-man cell.
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