Teacher faces jail over affair with then 13-year-old student

SINGAPORE — Over supplementary tuition in history, the 30-year-old form teacher fell in love with his student. She was 13 then, and he started to court her during the school holidays in June 2003 by asking her to assist him in marking papers.

Later that year, the teenager’s father passed away, and the teacher continued to chase her, paying for all her expenses and feeding her lines about how she had caught his attention in class. Both parties cannot be named due to a court-imposed gag order.

Today (Dec 9), the 42-year-old teacher — who has been suspended by the Ministry of Education — pleaded guilty in court to six charges, including committing an obscene act with a child, and using a recording device to film the girl and her mother showering. Another 36 charges will be taken into consideration during sentencing.

The court heard that in 2004, the accused told the teenager that he was undergoing divorce proceedings and his wife had booted him out of their marital home. Hence, he started renting a room in her house for S$150 to S$200 a month.

Over the next few years, the pair had numerous sexual encounters at home and in rented cars and hotel rooms. The teenager tried to end their relationship twice in 2006 and 2007, but he only consented to the split in 2008.

After breaking up, she discovered that the teacher had been filming her bathing on the sly. He begged for forgiveness, and she relented. But in 2013, she discovered video footage of their trysts, as well as of her in the toilet, among his belongings. The cops were called, and he was arrested on Aug 23, 2013.

In court today, Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh called for a jail term of five to seven years, saying the man had grievously violated the trust and confidence that his student and her mother had in him.

“The accused person actively courted the victim, knowing full well that she was 13, and that she was his student. He clearly crossed the line,” he said.

Rebutting this, defence lawyer Leslie Gregory Robert said the pair were in a “stable” relationship, and this was not a “run-of-the-mill sexual predator” case.

A 2009 email exchange between the two was tendered before the court. The teacher wrote: “I don’t know why but the more I want to forget you… the more I feel for you and think of you… But I also know that I have to accept that as our love has been a forbidden one…”

In her response, the girl said: “Forbidden love is the right word to use… I am glad that we spent five years together. Only when you meet your next partner, you will realise that actually there are a lot of better options.”

His case will be heard again on Dec 30.

In response to TODAY’s queries, a Ministry of Education spokesperson said the teacher “has been suspended from duties”.

“We do not tolerate educators who misconduct themselves. Educators are expected to uphold the highest professional standards,” the spokesperson added.