8 weeks’ jail for construction worker who followed 13-year-old home, pestered her for ‘sex, sex, sex’

SINGAPORE — A 28-year-old man was sentenced to eight weeks’ jail on Friday (June 3) for harassing a 13-year-old secondary school student for sex after following her home from Marsiling MRT Station.

When Hossain Mohammad Akram’s attempts were foiled by the victim’s neighbour, he followed a 16-year-old girl into the lift and chased her upon exiting.

She managed to get home and lock the gate of her flat, but he tried to pull it open while grasping his crotch over his pants at the same time. He soon fled and was arrested at a nearby bus stop.

On Friday, Hossain, a Bangladeshi who worked as a construction worker here, pleaded guilty to one charge each of using criminal force on the younger girl and harassing her.

Another charge of trespass was taken into consideration for sentencing. He was not charged with any offences in relation to the older girl.

The girls cannot be named due to court orders to protect their identities.

WANTED 'TO DO THE SEX'

The court heard that Hossain struck on April 7 this year.

A 13-year-old was returning home from school when he began following her from behind at Marsiling MRT Station. He then boarded the same bus as her and alighted when she did.

During investigations, he stated that he tailed her “to do the sex” and that it was for his “mental peace”.

When the victim noticed him staring at her at the bus stop, she stood at a corner until he walked away.

Thinking that he had left, she went to the lift lobby at the block of flats where she lived and pressed the button for the lift. He then showed up once more, entered the lift first and gestured for her to follow him.

She had previously learned to press the lift button for the level below her home, then go up via the staircase, if suspicious people were in the lift with her.

Hossain did not press any button. Instead, he stood with his arms crossed and stared at her.

The victim left the lift when the doors opened and Hossain followed her. He then held onto her elbow and told her: “Sex, sex, sex.”

This prompted her to shout for help, but he held onto her backpack to prevent her from leaving.

The victim's 27-year-old neighbour was about to shut the gate of his own flat when he heard her.

Seeing the neighbour, Hossain let go of her backpack.

She managed to escape to the neighbour’s flat. When the neighbour asked Hossain what he wanted, he replied with “no problem, no problem” and walked back to the lift.

Thinking that he had left, the neighbour decided to take the victim home. But when the lift doors opened to reveal Hossain once more, the victim ran back to the neighbour’s home.

The neighbour continued watching Hossain from a distance and saw him trespassing another unit by pulling the gate handle. Hossain left only after the neighbour and the unit’s occupants told him to do so.

FELT SOMETHING WAS NOT RIGHT

Hossain then took the lift back down to the ground floor and saw a 16-year-old girl walking past.

As he began tailing her, she walked faster because she felt that something was not right with him. He got into the lift with her and followed her as she moved around to avoid him.

She told him to stop and ran out of the lift when the doors opened. He began chasing her and she ran up the stairs, got to her home, opened the gate and locked it before he could get to her.

He then tried to open it but was unsuccessful, and had one hand on his crotch over his pants. She closed the main door before telling her aunt and uncle what was happening.

The first victim’s neighbour, who had continued observing Hossain after he fled earlier, confronted him. Hossain then ran away, but was arrested by the police at the bus stop.

He told police officers that he had also followed the older girl for sex.

On Friday, the prosecution asked for the sentence imposed, while Hossain asked for leniency through an interpreter. “I’m sincerely sorry for the offences and also remorseful for my wrongdoings. I will not do it again in the future,” he said.

Those convicted of using criminal force on a person can be jailed for up to three months or fined up to S$1,500, or punished with both.

For causing harassment, alarm or distress, Hossain could have been jailed for up to six months or fined up to S$5,000, or both.