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Man jailed 7 months for molesting two schoolgirls on bus, MRT to Yishun

SINGAPORE — A 26-year-old man was sentenced to seven months’ jail on Wednesday (March 25) for molesting two girls, aged 11 and 15, on two separate occasions.

Lee Zheng Yong pleaded guilty in a district court to two counts of molestation, with another two such charges taken into consideration for sentencing.

Lee Zheng Yong pleaded guilty in a district court to two counts of molestation, with another two such charges taken into consideration for sentencing.

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SINGAPORE — A 26-year-old man was sentenced to seven months’ jail on Wednesday (March 25) for molesting two girls, aged 11 and 15, on two separate occasions.

Lee Zheng Yong pleaded guilty to two counts of molestation, with another two such charges taken into consideration for sentencing. His sentence was backdated to Dec 23 last year.

District Judge Marvin Bay noted that he had intellectual disabilities, and his lawyer told the court that he had previously attended a school for those with special needs. 

Regardless of this, a psychiatrist from the Institute of Mental Health found that Lee was aware that what he was doing was wrong.

Dustrict Judge Bay said: “The court has a duty to protect young girls from molestation in public places and public transport… Your acts were sustained and persistent. You can be sure that the sentence would have been much higher had there been any direct intrusion through the victims’ clothes, or into the victims’ private parts.” 

Both of Lee’s victims cannot be named due to court orders to protect their identities.

The court heard that Lee, a Singaporean, first struck on May 9, 2018.

At about 8am that day, a 15-year-old girl boarded SMRT bus service 969 in Woodlands, then sat close to the exit door at the lower deck of the bus.

She fell asleep during the journey and was abruptly awoken by someone touching her thigh. She turned and saw Lee sitting beside her, rubbing her thigh “very slowly”, the court heard.

The girl placed her schoolbag in between them, but he rubbed and touched her thigh once more. He then alighted at the bus stop close to Northpoint City mall in Yishun.

The girl’s father made a police report that day, saying: “(My daughter) felt uneasy. She used her school bag to cover her thigh but still it continued.”

About two months later, Lee targeted a 11-year-old girl, this time on a MRT train heading towards Yishun.

Lee boarded the train at Khatib MRT Station and stood beside her, his back facing her back.

As the train doors closed, the girl felt someone rubbing her buttocks. She turned to look at Lee but he put on a nonchalant air, while his hand remained next to her buttocks.

He resumed his inappropriate touching shortly after, violating her at three different intervals during the journey to Yishun MRT Station.

She did not call for help because she felt shocked and scared.

When both of them alighted, they went their separate ways and she called her father to inform him about the incident while walking to school. He then called her teacher.

Later that day, father and daughter went to the Yishun North Neighbourhood Police Centre to make a police report.

Court documents did not reveal how Lee was eventually arrested.

For molestation, Lee could have been jailed up to two years, fined, caned, or any combination of the three.

For molesting a minor aged under 14, he could have been jailed up to five years, fined, caned, or any combination of the three.

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court crime molest yishun mrt bus

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