Former police officer jailed 5 years for sexual abuse of autistic boy

SINGAPORE — Days after he attended to a case involving an autistic teenager, a Volunteer Special Constabulary (VSC) sergeant called the boy to arrange meet-ups.

Around two weeks after their first chance encounter, Koon Kok Wai, 53, molested the boy, then 17, in a toilet cubicle at a public swimming complex. He even went to the boy’s home subsequently and performed oral sex on him.

On Wednesday (May 25), Koon, who has been dismissed from his VSC position, was sentenced to five years’ jail — the minimum penalty prosecutors had argued for.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Lin Yinbing said Koon had abused his position as a police officer and betrayed the trust placed in him. 

Koon had also caused disrepute to the public service by using information obtained during the course of his policing duties and in befriending and taking over the supervision of the victim “on the pretext that he is of trustworthy standing as a police officer”, added Ms Lin.

The lack of integrity Koon displayed is deplorable and contrary to the tenets of public service, the prosecutor said, adding that the victim was vulnerable, given his young age and intellectual disability.

The court was told that Koon first met the victim on May 29, 2014 while he was performing his VSC duty — he has volunteered with the police since 2006. 

He and his partner attended to a complaint by a member of the public that someone was creating trouble and when they reached the scene, they saw the victim laying on the ground.

After copying the teenager’s name, address, NRIC number and mobile number, Koon called the boy a few days later and they started meeting several times, at the void deck of the victim’s flat and at a nearby community centre. He also brought the victim food.

On June 12 that year, Koon asked the victim out for a swim. They entered the same toilet cubicle where Koon took off the victim’s swimming trunks and molested him.

Investigations revealed that during that period, the teenager’s mother was preoccupied with caring for the victim’s father who was hospitalised from June 14. 

Because of that, she was grateful when Koon had contacted her to reassure her that he would accompany the victim when he was free.

Sometime later that month, Koon visited the victim while he was home alone. They entered the victim’s room and Koon performed oral sex on the victim. Before he left, he told the victim not to tell his mother that he had visited their place.

It was only at a later date that the victim told his mother that Koon was “crazy” and revealed that Koon had behaved inappropriately towards him. She later took him to the police to make a report.

In mitigation on Wednesday, lawyer A Ravidass said his client was a first-time offender with no antecedents. 

Prior to his offences, Koon was on course to be promoted to a Staff Sergeant due to his “outstanding performance”, the lawyer added.

Koon had also shown genuine remorse, shame and regret for his offences and pleaded guilty at the earliest possible time, said Mr Ravidass.

Koon could have been jailed up to 20 years and fined for sexual penetration, as well as jailed up to two years and fined for outrage of modesty.