In a disturbing case involving a private tutor and his young female students, Michael Martin Lee Teck Heng, 58, was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges including molestation and the production of obscene films.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CASE:
- Michael Lee was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison after pleading guilty to molestation and producing obscene videos involving young female students.
- Over 400 videos documenting sexual acts, including lewd acts behind students during tuition sessions, were discovered on Lee’s device, with a total of 545 films found.
- The court emphasized Lee’s status as a repeat offender and his abuse of authority, while his defense cited exhibitionistic disorder, with the court ultimately sentencing him for his crimes.
OVER 400 VIDEOS FOUND
According to ST, the incident, which occurred during tuition sessions at his home, revealed a pattern of lewd behavior and exploitation.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Daphne Lim disclosed that over 400 videos found on Lee’s device documented him touching himself behind his female students while in his living room.
These videos, totaling 545 in number, were shot during 31 separate incidents from May to September 2019.
Additionally, Lee began filming himself performing lewd acts in public from May 2019, often at a distance from unsuspecting women.
The case involved five victims aged between 13 and 16. One 15-year-old girl noticed suspicious behavior when she saw Lee moving his hands around his shorts during a tuition session, which made her uncomfortable. She hesitated to confront him, fearing that he might harm her, especially since she believed he was religious and thus unlikely to commit such acts. Her suspicions were confirmed later when her concerns about his conduct surfaced.
According to Channel News Asia, On some occasions in 2019, Lee placed his private parts against a 16-year-old victim during their tuition sessions. He disguised the contact by placing his hand on her back or shoulder as he perpetrated lewd acts behind her. Lee claimed he did the acts as this victim had shown him care and concern and he “felt attached” to her. This eldest victim was captured in 228 videos over 13 occasions.
Lee did the same with the youngest victim, who was only 13 years old at the time of the offences, and she was unaware he took videos of her.
The prosecution stated, “The accused admitted during investigations that the fourth victim was one of his more ‘headstrong’ students and he had felt a need to ‘control’ her,” and he stated that he could exert such control by committing the obscene acts. This need to control her accounted for why a high proportion of the videos featured the fourth victim.
On Sept 30, 2019, Lee was seen exposing his private parts at a bus stop by a woman who then called the police. Police officers who responded to the call found Lee to match the description they had been given. They checked his mobile phone and discovered the video he recorded of himself committing sexual acts. He was arrested and his phone seized.
During a raid of his house, his computer was also seized. Both devices were sent for forensic examination. Hundreds of obscene films were found on his computer, with at least 545 featuring Lee committing lewd acts in public places while behind or out of sight of unidentified women in 299 incidents.
At least 406 videos showed Lee doing the same behind young female subjects or placing his private parts on them in his living room over 31 incidents. In total, between May and September 2019, Lee made 951 obscene films of himself in public and in his home.
Lee’s misconduct was brought to light in September 2019 after a woman reported witnessing him performing a lewd act in Hougang. Authorities responded, leading to the discovery of hundreds of obscene videos on his computer.
The police investigation revealed that Lee regularly engaged in such acts, often exploiting his role as a tutor to prey on young women.
The court heard that Lee is a repeat sexual offender, with the prosecution urging a sentence of five to six years’ imprisonment, citing him as a danger to the community. The prosecution also emphasized that Lee’s actions were made worse by his position of authority over vulnerable students.
In mitigation, Lee’s defense lawyer, Joyce Khoo, argued that her client suffers from exhibitionistic disorder, which contributed to his behavior. She highlighted that Lee has shown remorse and has not reoffended for nearly six years. His family, including his wife and children, support him and have participated in counseling and Sexaholics Anonymous sessions.
Ms Khoo requested a lighter sentence of approximately three years and 11 months.
The court ultimately sentenced Lee to four years and nine months’ imprisonment, acknowledging his criminal conduct and the gravity of his offenses, which violated the trust placed in him as an educator.
Image via google for illustration
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