A high school counselor, who worked with a difficult childhood, abused the trust that had been placed in him when he bothered three teenage boys between 2011 and 2013.
The 50-year-old was sentenced yesterday to two years, eight months and twelve weeks in prison after a district judge found him guilty of attempts at modesty and four counts of molestation. He was acquitted of three similar charges.
The father of two was sentenced in June after a trial period of twenty days. He can not be called to protect the identity of his victims. The man, who started working at the school in the southeastern part of Singapore in 2009, has been temporarily relieved of his duties since November 2013.
The Ministry of Education said last night that it would take further disciplinary action against him and added that it would continue to work closely with the schools to maintain vigilance and ensure the well-being of all students.
Deputy public prosecutors Charlene Tay Chia and Yvonne Poon stated in their comments: "The accused … earned the trust and sympathy of the school community and the students because he was committed to his work and sincerely cared for the welfare of the student body."
The prosecutors added, however, that the man & # 39; abused that abuse & # 39; when he & # 39; benefited & # 39; of the vulnerability of the boys.
The prosecutors noted that of the three victims, two were referred to the counseling in 2010 when they were in Secondary 1. The man was their adviser until 2013.
The third victim was a friend of one of the boys who occasionally accompanied him to his sessions.
The court heard that in 2011 the man started to molest one of the boys when he asked the teenager to ask a sex-related question before he pulled down the younger ones.
The following year he touched the private parts of the boy and on another occasion he tried to touch them. He molested the second tortured boy in September 2013, a month after he had violated the modesty of his friend, according to prosecutors. Two victims reported counsel to the school authorities.
The prosecutors sought a prison sentence of three years and seven months, emphasizing that all three boys were vulnerable victims.
Defense lawyer Melanie Ho urged district judge Tan Jen Tse to sentence the man to a prison sentence of one year and two months. She said that this was his first armistice with the law and that he was "otherwise a fair citizen who contributed considerably to society and the people around him".
Yesterday, Ms. Ho told the court that her client will appeal against his conviction and conviction. He was offered a $ 20,000 deposit. For every count of molestation, offenders can be jailed for up to two years and a fine or caned. The man can not be admitted if he is 50 years old.
Shaffiq Alkhatib
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