Jail, caning for man who molested 11-year-old girl at void deck after trying to follow her home

SINGAPORE — After drinking some beer with his friend in public, Jeevenandhan Govindan tailed a young girl walking home and molested her, holding onto her hands to prevent her from breaking free.

The incident left the 11-year-old fearful of going anywhere on her own, even in broad daylight, and she questioned why something like that had happened to her.

On Friday (Feb 18), Govindan was sentenced to a year's jail and three strokes of the cane for his actions a year ago.

The 30-year-old India national pleaded guilty to one count of molesting a minor under 14, with another similar charge taken into consideration for sentencing. His victim cannot be named due to a court order to protect her identity.

The court heard that around 8.30pm on Feb 23 last year, Govindan had just finished work as a project engineer when he bought three cans of beer and sat near Chua Chu Kang MRT Station to speak to his wife on the phone. His friend then joined him.

At the same time, the victim left her home to go to Lot One mall and have dinner with her mother.

While she was walking along a sheltered pathway, she received a call from her mother who told her that she had forgotten her wallet. The girl then turned around to go back home and retrieve it.

Just then, Govindan and his friend, who were also on the way to Lot One, noticed her walking towards a block of flats. Govindan approached her and asked if she wanted him to accompany her home, adding that he could make her feel better.

The girl rejected him and walked away but he followed her, holding onto her hands to prevent her from leaving.

They then reached a block of flats opposite the victim’s.

Govindan took the girl to a bench and told her to sit down but she refused. He then put his hands on her shoulders.

When she struggled to break free from his grip, he touched her chest, thigh and hand. She pushed him away and told him that she wanted to leave, but he continued holding onto her hands before pulling both their face masks down and kissing her on the lips.

Shocked, she ran off towards her block and called her mother, crying as she related what had happened. The mother told her to go home and not to open the door to anyone until she returned.

They then went to Choa Chu Kang Neighbourhood Police Centre to make a police report.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Jing Min said that the incident “left a deep impact” on the victim, who “sometimes feels sad and questions why something like that happened to her”.

The prosecutor sought 12 to 15 months’ jail with three strokes of the cane, arguing that Govindan was persistent in his acts and that there was an element of wrongful restraint.

Govindan’s lawyer, Mr Krishnan Sivanandam, argued that it was a “fleeting touch” and his client had not used force or violence on her.

In sentencing Govindan, District Judge Christopher Goh said that he imposed caning not only because Govindan had touched the girl's private parts, but also because she was “extremely young”.

Those convicted of molesting a minor can be jailed for up to five years, fined, caned, or punished with any combination of the three.