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Former Wah!Banana actor Lev Panfilov, acquitted of rape in September after spending nearly three years in Changi Prison, shared his reflections in an Instagram post on Oct 2 and spoke to CNA about his ordeal.
Lev Panfilov, a former Wah! Banana scriptwriter-actor and TikToker, has been acquitted of all four charges of rape and sexual assault after spending almost three years in Changi Prison.
Court Appeal Acquits Panfilov
The 30-year-old Singapore permanent resident shared his reflections in an Instagram post on Friday, which was Oct 2. Panfilov had been found guilty in 2025 of two counts of rape, one count of sexual assault by penetration and one count of outrage of modesty. He was sentenced to 11 and a half years in jail and 12 strokes of the cane. In September, the Court of Appeal acquitted him of all charges after finding inconsistencies in the woman's evidence.
The court also found that her evidence fell short of the unusually convincing standard required to overcome the lack of corroborative evidence. Panfilov had matched with the woman, aged 30, on Tinder in 2021. They met up to work on a script, and the encounter later became the subject of a police report alleging sexual assault. He maintained that their sexual encounter was consensual.
In his Instagram post, Panfilov framed his experience like a movie that suddenly changed genre. He wrote: I have always loved movies. I just did not think I would spend five and a half years guessing what genre mine had become. In the blink of an eye, it became a thriller.
Family Loss and Prison Life
He recounted that at 24, he was acting, fencing, making comedy videos and preparing to move to New York to study acting on scholarship. He wrote: I went on a date and was accused of something I did not do. An investigation began. Suddenly, the future I had been planning was put on hold.
Panfilov also reflected on losing his father while he was under investigation. In 2023, his father was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour. He tried twice to get permission to travel to Russia to see him, but was denied both times. He wrote: I was only allowed to go after he had passed, to pay my respects.
He told CNA that he was eventually allowed to travel to Russia for his father's funeral, after which his bail was increased from 80,000 dollars to 120,000 dollars. He stayed there for about a month before returning to Singapore to fight the trial because he believed he was innocent. Later in 2023, the court rejected another appeal to visit his 91-year-old grandfather in Russia, who had a health condition and wanted to meet him.
Panfilov then attempted to leave Singapore using an undeclared second passport. He was stopped at the airport and remanded in jail as his trial continued. He described life as grim. He spent 23 hours a day in a seven-square-metre cell, with one hour in the yard.
There was no bed, and he slept on a straw mat on the floor. He wrote: I lived alongside people serving a few years, 20 years, even life. A few floors below were people awaiting the death penalty. For a long time, this became my world.
Books Faith and GCE A-Levels
CNA reported that he was held in three different types of cells during his time in custody and was eventually housed in Changi Prison's A1 cluster, which accommodates inmates serving lengthy sentences. During his imprisonment, Panfilov read more than 100 books. He also joined religious counselling sessions and became a Christian.
In addition, he enrolled in prison school to prepare for his GCE A-Levels, which he would still be sitting for in November. He wrote: I found my why in books and faith, in friends and family, in a cappella songs in my cell and reciting comedy. And in my mother. He added: While I fought from the inside, she fought for me on the outside.
I did not just learn how to survive. I learnt how to live. His current girlfriend, whom he had known for years before they started dating in 2021, also stood by him. She visited him in prison weekly or monthly, depending on visit availability.
His mother picked apart 1,000 pages of court transcripts with his lawyers and him. Panfilov wrote: After almost three years in prison, fortnightly 20-minute family visits, 1,000 pages of court transcripts picked apart by my mum, my lawyers and me, and my girlfriend standing by me through it all, the day finally came. He ended his post with: Perhaps it is a feel-good movie after all. As for what genre comes next?
I do not know. But for the first time in a long time, I get to choose. He told CNA that when he was released that same evening after being acquitted, he did not know where his mother was staying in Singapore. He could only remember his girlfriend's address, which he went to after a security guard booked a ride for him.
Relief Grief and Future Plans
He felt out of place while re-entering society, adding that he struggled to cross the road in the beginning because everything was moving too fast. Panfilov said he remained relieved but was also dealing with grief over the years he had lost. He told CNA: But it is a type of relief that is mixed with a lot of grief, and a type of darkness. He added that his faith in the Singapore judicial system has been restored.
His post drew messages of support from followers, with several praising his resilience and wishing him well. One follower said: I wish you only the happiest days in your life from today onwards. Another said: Life owes you some beautiful chapters ahead. Another added: You survived hell and came back stronger, newer and bolder.
You will shine again bro. Panfilov's goal now is to recover his financial losses from the court case, which amounted to almost half a million dollars in legal fees, and set up recruitment firm Found Partners. He also hopes to explore living elsewhere and eventually return to the creative industry, as well as marry his girlfriend.
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asiaonecom:Singapore-based TikToker Lev Panfilov reflects on his 3 years in jail and being acquitted of rape chargesThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Lev Panfilov Wah!Banana Sexual Assault Case Singapore Court Acquittal On Appeal Rape Acquittal Changi Prison Court Of Appeal
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