Executive jailed eight months for molesting primary school girl and cheating insurance firm

Ryan Ong Swee Chuan was jailed for eight months after he pleaded guilty to a count each of molesting a minor and conspiring to cheat. PHOTO: ST GRAPHICS

SINGAPORE - A 31-year-old logistics executive molested a primary school student taking a public bus to school then gave her $10 out of guilt, a court heard on Friday (April 8).

Ryan Ong Swee Chuan also made a fake insurance claim for a staged traffic accident on behalf of a motor insurance scam syndicate.

On Friday, he was jailed for eight months after he pleaded guilty to a count each of molesting a minor and conspiring to cheat. He also admitted another count of molestation, which was taken into consideration in sentencing.

A community court heard that early on Aug 12 last year, Ong boarded an SMRT 903 bus towards Woodlands.

He sat next to an 11-year-old Primary 5 student in the last row of seats. Ten minutes later, he tapped the girl's knee with his fingers and stroked it. Fearful, the student moved closer to the window, away from him. But Ong held the girl by her waist and hugged her.

He then passed the girl $10, "because he felt guilty for touching her, and felt that by giving the victim $10, she would not be upset," Deputy Public Prosecutor James Chew said.

The bus arrived at the interchange shortly after, where both alighted.

The girl made a police report and he was arrested two days later.

The court heard that on Aug 27, 2013, acting on behalf of a motor insurance scam syndicate, Ong also made a Singapore Accident Statement report about a traffic accident that was staged on Seletar Link Road. He pretended that he had been a passenger involved in a car crash.

District Judge Mathew Joseph jailed Ong for four months each for the molestation and cheating charges. The judge ordered both sentences to run consecutively.

For outraging the modesty of a person under 14, Ong could have been jailed for five years, fined, caned, or received any combined punishment.

For abetting a conspiracy to cheat, he could have been jailed for 10 years and fined.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.