SINGAPORE: A 25-year-old man who molested a 12-year-old girl at a bus interchange in April this year was sentenced to jail for 13 months on Thursday (Jul 26).
Teo Yan Kang, a Singapore permanent resident from Malaysia, also tried to molest two other women aged 30 and 23 in April and May.
AdvertisementTeo, who was working as a McDonald's crew member at the time, molested the 12-year-old secondary school student at Jurong East Temporary Bus Interchange at around 3pm on Apr 16.
The girl, who was wearing her school's Physical Education T-shirt, was heading towards a bus berth with a schoolmate.
Teo molested the girl while walking past her; the victim heard him saying "sorry" twice.
The victim and her friend went to the ticketing counter for help and were told to lodge a police report.
AdvertisementAdvertisementHE TRIED TO MOLEST ANOTHER WOMAN THAT SAME DAY
Later that same day, Teo took a bus and tried to molest a 23-year-old nurse who was on the upper deck.
He touched the left side of her uniform, near her arm, with his finger.
The woman informed the bus captain about the incident, while one of the passengers called the police.
Several weeks later, on the morning of May 21, Teo was involved in another molestation attempt.
This time, at the void deck of Block 817, Jurong West Street 81, he tried to touch a 30-year-old woman's chest as he was walking towards her.
The woman raised her arms to fend off Teo, who then ran away and stood at the side of the void deck. When the woman walked over and looked at him, Teo said: "Please do not sue me."
They ended up boarding the same bus and alighted at the same stop. The woman subsequently called the police.
HE COMMITTED SIMILAR OFFENCE PREVIOUSLY
Teo pleaded guilty to three charges of assault or use of criminal force on a person with the intent to outrage modesty.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Michael Quilindo on Thursday said Teo had previously committed a similar offence with the same modus operandi.
"He knew she was a student as she was wearing a school uniform," said the prosecutor of the youngest victim.
He added that Teo had committed the offences just months after he was released from prison in January this year for a similar offence.
Teo, who has mild intellectual disability, pleaded for leniency, saying that his mother was alone at home and he needed to take care of her.
Sentencing Teo to jail for 13 months, District Judge John Ng said: "You will not be getting a light sentence, because you are repeating your offences."
For assault with intent to outrage modesty, Teo could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or given any combination of the three punishments.
For committing the offence on a victim under 14 years old, he could have been jailed for up to five years.
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