Lev Panfilov Shares Prison Ordeal After Rape Acquittal

Former Wah! Banana actor Lev Panfilov has opened up about spending almost three years behind bars before his acquittal, sharing the personal and financial toll of his legal battle in an interview with YouTuber Max Chernov.

The 30-year-old Russian national and Singapore permanent resident maintained that his January 2021 encounter with a woman he met on Tinder was consensual.

He was initially convicted of rape, sexual assault and molestation, and sentenced to 1112 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane.

On September 2, 2026, the Court of Appeal overturned all four convictions after inconsistencies in the complainant's testimony raised reasonable doubt.

In a separate CNA interview, he said his family spent around S$500,000 fighting the case, which also derailed plans to study acting in New York.

He recalled being denied permission to visit his terminally ill father, only receiving approval to travel after his father died.

Later, an attempt to leave Singapore using an undeclared second passport to visit his ill grandfather resulted in his remand.

While imprisoned, Panfilov read more than 100 books, became a Christian and prepared for his A-Levels.

He told Chernov he had moved beyond anger towards his accuser and rejected suggestions that his life was ruined, saying he wanted to move forward.

Panfilov is not the first person to have sexual offence convictions overturned on appeal.

In June 2020, the Court of Appeal acquitted general practitioner Dr Wee Teong Boo of sexually assaulting and molesting a patient at his Bedok clinic, while upholding his earlier rape acquittal.

Singapore's criminal justice system does not require an accused person to prove their innocence; the prosecution must prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Explaining this in Parliament in August 2008, then Law Minister K Shanmugam said courts must acquit when reasonable doubt remains, without having to establish factual innocence.