Jail, caning for teacher who made former pupil his ‘godson’ and later molested him
SINGAPORE - A male teacher who made a former pupil his "godson" and later molested the boy during a sleepover was jailed for 2½ years on Thursday (Sept 9). The man, 36, was also sentenced to three strokes of the cane. He was earlier found guilty of two counts of molestation and another charge of attempted molestation after a trial. Details about the man, the boy and the school cannot be revealed because of a gag order protecting the victim's identity. The man has been suspended from service since July 2017 and no longer teaches in any school. He used to be the victim's Primary 6 form teacher and taught English, mathematics and science in 2016. The court had earlier heard that he and his victim had a "normal teacher-student relationship" at the time. But they also met outside the school three times that year. They grew closer after the release of the boy's Primary School Leaving Examination results. He had gone to the victim's home to help the child with selecting a secondary school. The court also heard that the boy had been raised by a single mother and he never had a father figure before the teacher came into his life. The boy agreed to become the teacher's godson in early 2017 a...
Elderly recalcitrant offender jailed for molesting 2, including child
SINGAPORE - An elderly recalcitrant offender, who has been in and out of jail since 2018 over multiple counts of molestation, is back behind bars for molesting two people, including an 11-year-old girl. Poh Seng Khian, 86, who is also hard of hearing, had been sentenced to 18 weeks' jail last year for a similar offence. He did not learn his lesson after his release and pleaded guilty on Wednesday (July 28) to two molestation charges. The Singaporean was then sentenced to 10 months' jail. Poh, who was unrepresented, had earlier pleaded for the court to sentence him to a fine, adding: "I'm old and about to die." He appeared in court on Wednesday in a wheelchair, but was not using one when he committed his latest offences. He was sitting in bus service number 30 on Oct 23 last year when he targeted a 27-year-old woman, who was standing beside him. Poh touched the victim's arm about five times and she shifted back slightly as she assumed that the touches were accidental. Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Woon Yee said: "In total, the accused touched (the woman) on her left bicep repeatedly for about 15 seconds, before he slowly got up from his seat with the help of his walking aid. "After w...
School bus driver jailed for 2 years for molesting autistic student
SINGAPORE - A school bus driver was jailed for two years on Monday (May 24) for molesting an autistic student he was ferrying. Ang Boon Hock, 66, pleaded guilty to one count of molesting the victim who was 13 at the time. Another similar charge was taken into consideration for sentencing. The court heard that Ang would ask the victim to sit beside him in the bus because the boy always cried when he sat at the back. Sometime in July 2019, while on the bus, the victim wanted to urinate and clutched his private part to prevent himself from doing so. Ang slid his hand into the boy's underwear and molested him. The victim felt scared but did not say anything, making only a whimpering sound. Ang told him to keep quiet and not to tell his mother. The mother found out what had happened from the boy on Sept 23 that year and made a police report. Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) James Chew told the court that the boy was a particularly vulnerable victim, since he was both young and had special needs. He said Ang had abused the trust placed in him as a bus driver responsible for ferrying students to and from school. More on this topic Related Story Cabby jailed for molesting 13-year-old boy in ...
Cab driver in S’pore found guilty of molesting female passenger
SINGAPORE - A cab driver was found guilty on Thursday (April 29) of molesting a female passenger after a trial. Haji Mohamed Yusoof, 56, had contested a charge of outraging the modesty of the woman, in an incident which happened on Jan 5, 2019 in Lorong Ah Soo near Upper Paya Lebar Road. The 30-year-old victim cannot be named due to a gag order protecting her identity. It is unclear if he is still working as a taxi driver. Delivering his verdict on Thursday, District Judge John Ng noted that Yusoof and the woman had given different accounts of the incident, and there were no other witnesses present. The woman said she had fallen asleep in the back of the taxi after boarding it, and later woke up to Yusoof molesting her. After she shouted at him, he returned to the driver's seat and dropped her off shortly after. Yusoof had testified that he had not touched the victim. He had tried to wake her up by calling out to her when the taxi reached her intended destination. On Thursday, District Judge Ng found the woman to be a truthful witness and her evidence to be cogent and reliable. He found Yusoof to be evasive instead. Yusoof is expected to be sentenced on May 17. Offenders convicted ...
Man jailed 18 days for molesting woman on MRT train
SINGAPORE - An engineer with a doctorate was on Tuesday (Feb 9) sentenced to 18 days' jail for molesting a 39-year-old woman on an MRT train. Shen Ruifu, who holds a PhD in geotech, a branch of civil engineering, committed the offence on a south-bound train as it was travelling from Ang Mo Kio to Bishan at around 7.45am on Dec 12, 2018. The 54-year-old previously worked at the National University of Singapore and had left in 2015. Defence lawyer Raphael Louis told District Judge Marvin Bay that his client committed the act of molestation at the spur of the moment and the offence did not involve skin-to-skin contact. The lawyer added that it was Shen's first brush with the law. For molestation, he could have been jailed for up to two years and fined or caned. More on this topic Related Story Two-week jail sentence for NUS student who molested woman on MRT Related Story Man, 55, jailed for rubbing against woman on MRT train
Jail, caning for ex-SAF regular who molested a girl and tried to molest another 4 months later
SINGAPORE - A former Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) regular was sentenced on Tuesday (Oct 27) to 7 1/2 years' jail and six strokes of the cane for molesting a girl and attempting to molest another victim four months later. Mohamed Ardlee Iriandee Mohamed Sanip was convicted on Feb 27, following a trial, of molesting an eight-year-old girl in January 2018. On March 23, he admitted in court that he had tried to molest a 10-year-old girl in May that year as well. The two girls cannot be named due to a gag order. Court documents did not disclose Ardlee's rank and role at the Safti Military Institute - his deployment at the time of the offences. Before sentencing Ardlee on Tuesday, District Judge John Ng noted that the 40-year-old was a first-time offender but added that his offences were "very serious" and they involved young schoolgirls. Judge Ng said the punishment should be severe enough to "reflect the condemnation" of such acts. In her submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sruthi Boppana stated that Ardlee had developed an interest in young girls a month before targeting the first victim. The DPP added that he was also "predisposed to thoughts of molesting them, and had thought of d...