A 59-year-old man accused of molesting a two-year-old girl in a preschool has been revealed to have worked as a cook at the facility, with further allegations of this nature coming to light, according to court proceedings held on Wednesday (December 27).
The Malaysian and Singapore permanent resident, whose identity remains undisclosed due to a gag order, was initially charged on December 6 for the alleged molestation of a two-year-old girl on November 9.
According to the CNA report, the 59-year-old has been accused of multiple similar offenses involving other victims.
The accused’s family from Malaysia has hired lawyer Mr. Revi Shanker to represent him throughout the legal process. Shanker appeared in court on Wednesday during a further mention of the case.
On December 13, the accused was ordered to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for a medical examination, which reportedly revealed that he suffers from paedophilic disorder.
The investigating officer stated that further investigations are pending and that the accused is likely to face additional charges. Due to the seriousness of the crimes and the fact that the victims were young children attending the preschool where he worked as a cook, the police prosecutor asked that the accused be denied bail, which was granted by the court.
“Public safety concern is of paramount importance,” said the prosecutor as per the report..
“Accused is a cook at the preschool where the incident took place, and (the) victims are all minors who attended at the preschool.”
Regarding concerns surrounding public safety, Shanker argued that there were no indications in the IMH report suggesting that the accused poses a risk of reoffending or presents issues related to young victims’ safety.
To protect the identity of the victim, a gag order preventing the publication of details that could lead to identification was imposed. Further, the judge extended this order to encompass any mention of the location of the incident.
The case has been adjourned to January for further proceedings.
“In view of the IMH report … that the accused has paedophilic disorder, for public safety, I am not granting him bail,” the Judge said.
The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) confirmed that investigations into the case are underway in cooperation with the police. The accused has been terminated from his position at the preschool, and the ECDA stated that he will not be allowed to work in the preschool sector while the investigations are ongoing. ECDA further emphasized that it conducts thorough background checks on staff, including non-teaching employees, prior to their deployment in preschools.
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