Teen pleads guilty to sexual crimes against underage girls, including molesting 15-year-old

SINGAPORE — A 15-year-old girl told a teenage boy to take his hands off her waist, but he did not budge. 

He pulled her towards him and told her to perform a sex act on him. 

The boy, now 17, on Friday (Jan 7) pleaded guilty in court to sexual penetration of a minor under 16, molestation and insulting the modesty of another by a word or gesture. Eight other charges will be considered during sentencing.

He cannot be named under the law because he is below 18.

On Sept 13, 2020, the teenager befriended the girl on messaging application Snapchat and asked to meet her the next day at Khatib MRT Station in Yishun.

When they met, he asked her to follow him to a housing block in Yishun, saying that he wanted to meet a friend there.

He took her to a staircase landing where he committed the crime. Court documents did not state whether the girl performed the act. 

The boy then told her to wait while he met his friend.

About an hour later, he returned with a bottle of liquor, and the pair went to the lift lobby to chat and played a drinking game, where the loser had to take a sip of alcohol. 

After some time, the girl became tipsy, got up and told him that she wanted to go home.

The boy pulled her, set her down on his lap with her back against him, and molested her.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Koh Mun Keong told the court that she tried to resist his advances but had no strength to get up. 

She eventually left for home after the effects of the alcohol wore off.

The girl made a police report two days later.

The boy was hauled to court in September 2021 to face charges involving the girl he molested as well as other offences.

In spite of this, he had underage sex in October 2021 with another 15-year-old girl while sleeping over at a friend’s place. 

The pair were romantically involved at the time, after the boy befriended her three months earlier via social network Instagram.

While they were sleeping on the same bed, he woke her by rubbing his hand over her chest.

DPP Koh said that the girl had, at one point, tried to push him away as she was afraid of getting pregnant. But she relented after the boy insisted that they have sex.

The girl’s father made a police report about two weeks later. Court documents did not state how he found out about the act.

Aside from the two incidents, the court heard that the boy had committed sexual crimes against at least two other victims. 

District Judge May Mesenas called for reports to assess the boy’s suitability for probation and reformative training.

Probation allows young offenders to continue with their education or employment while serving their sentences, while reformative training is a regimented rehabilitation programme for offenders under 21 who commit relatively serious crimes.