SINGAPORE - A man who wrongfully restrained and molested a 14-year-old schoolgirl in a lift in 2012 was not found out until he molested another teen last September.

On Thursday (Jan 12), Dexter Louis Wong, 35, who is unemployed, was jailed for five years and ordered to be given 10 strokes of the cane after admitting to grabbing the neck of a 17-year-old from behind and poking at her at a lift lobby on Sept 10, 2016.

He also admitted to rubbing another 14-year-old girl all over, pulling the victim towards him and covering her mouth to prevent her from screaming inside a Housing Board lift on Nov 14, 2012.

Another charge of molesting the 14-year-old girl was taken into consideration.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Michael Quilindo said Wong had trailed the 17-year-old to the lift lobby of her block on the evening of Sept 10, 2016, from a neighbouring block without her knowledge.

He entered the lift with her. When the lift arrived at her floor, she exited. Wong got out and grabbed her neck from behind and pulled her backwards. He then molested her.

The girl screamed and tried to squat down but could not as Wong was holding onto her.

She informed her mother who called the police.

After fleeing from the scene, Wong ran to a nearby block. Knowing that there were closed-circuit television cameras in the area, he decided to remove his shirt before running up the staircase back to his unit.

Wong, who was arrested on Sept 11, 2016, admitted that he found the victim "attractive" and had the urge to touch her.

In the 2012 case, investigations showed that on Nov 14, 2012, Wong was jogging when he saw the 14-year-old girl and had sexual urges. He decided to follow her .

He subsequently stood behind her at the lift lobby and also when he entered the lift with her.

DPP Quilindo said when the lift was ascending, he pulled the girl towards him, covered her mouth and molested her.

Wong ran out of the lift on the 10th floor, but ran back in again when he realised that there was no staircase landing to make an escape.

As the lift was going up, he performed more sexual acts on the victim. When the lift stopped on the 14th floor, she exited and pressed the button from outside to prevent he door from closing, as she wanted to stop him from fleeing. He pushed her on the shoulder and she fell. He then pressed the lift button from within and fled.

The girl was examined in hospital and found to have a faint bruise on the right upper arm. She also had pain on palpation in the lower back.

Wong, who is married with a child, had his sentence backdated to Sept 12.

He could have been jailed for up to 10 years and caned on each charge.