A 68-year-old Singaporean man, Sim Kian Hong, was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment on Wednesday (19 June) after pleading guilty to a charge of molesting a girl under 14 years of age.
The victim, whose name cannot be published to protect her identity, was on her way home from a nearby supermarket after buying groceries at about 4pm on May 8, 2023, according to TODAY.
Sim, who lived in the same housing block as the victim, approached her and offered to help carry her items back home. When she declined, he walked ahead of her but matched her pace.
Upon entering the lift at their housing block, Sim stood slightly behind the girl.
Despite her attempts to avoid conversation by using her handphone, Sim reached out his hand toward the girl’s shoulder, leaning in close so that their faces were near each other.
He quickly returned to standing upright before briefly touching her chest over her clothing for “for about 14 seconds”.
Feeling uncomfortable and scared, the victim quickly got out of the lift once it reached her floor and made a police report the next day.
According to TODAY, Deputy Public Prosecutor Andrea Gan described Sim’s behavior as displaying “some degree of predatory behavior”, as the victim may be forced to constantly relive her trauma due to living in the same block as her assailant.
The molest offence carries a jail term of up to three years, a fine, caning, or a combination of these punishments.
For molesting a victim under 14 years of age, a person can be jailed up to five years, fined, or caned, or a combination of these. However, as Sim is over the age of 50, he cannot be caned by law.
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