{
  "id": 11619935,
  "title": "Singapore-based TikToker and ex-‘Wah!Banana’ star Lev Panfilov opens up on three years in Changi Prison after rape acquittal",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/singapore-based-tiktoker-and-ex-wah-banana-star-lev-panfilov-opens-up",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-03T05:56:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/singapore/2026/10/03/singapore-based-tiktoker-and-ex-wahbanana-star-lev-panfilov-opens-up-on-three-years-in-changi-prison-after-rape-acquittal/237524"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Wah!Banana scriptwriter-actor and TikTok personality Lev Panfilov has written an Instagram post detailing his experiences serving three years in Changi Prison, where he was accused of rape and later acquitted of the charges. The 30-year-old Singapore permanent resident, originally from Russia, reflected on the five-and-a-half years he spent in prison, feeling like he was \"guessing what genre his time in jail had become.\"\n\nPanfilov began his acting career at 24 and had planned to study acting in New York on a scholarship. However, his life turned upside down when he met a woman on Tinder in 2021 and was accused of raping her after a date. He recounted feeling his future plans were put on hold, with an investigation beginning immediately.\n\nIn 2023, Panfilov was found guilty of four charges, including two counts of rape, one count of sexual assault by penetration, and one count of outrage of modesty, and sentenced to 11½ years in jail and 12 strokes of the cane. His conviction was overturned in September by the Court of Appeal, which found inconsistencies in the accuser's evidence and stated that her testimony did not meet the \"unusually convincing\" standard required to overcome the lack of corroborative evidence.\n\nDuring his time in prison, Panfilov spent 23 hours a day in a small cell, slept on a straw mat, and lived alongside other inmates serving various sentences. Despite the harsh conditions, he found solace in books, faith, and the support of his mother and girlfriend. Panfilov also enrolled in prison school to prepare for his GCE A-Levels, which he would still sit for in November.\n\nPanfilov's girlfriend stood by him throughout his imprisonment, visiting him frequently. Upon his release, he struggled to re-enter society, feeling out of place and repeatedly struggling to cross the road due to the fast pace of life. Looking ahead, Panfilov aims to recover financial losses from the court case, set up a recruitment firm, explore living elsewhere, and return to the creative industry. He also hopes to marry his girlfriend.",
  "summary": "SINGAPORE, Oct 3 — Former Wah!Banana scriptwriter-actor and TikToker Lev Panfilov reflected on his three years in...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}