SINGAPORE - The former assistant coach of Albirex Niigata Singapore football club who molested a 14-year-old girl was jailed for 10 days on Friday (March 23).
Japanese national Takafumi Mizuno, 30, outraged the teenager's modesty twice on July 6 last year - once at around 5.40pm before tailing his victim to molest her for the second time 20 minutes later.
Before sentencing him, District Judge Clement Tan noted that the girl was a vulnerable victim as she was only 14 years old.
He also found that Mizuno had been persistent as he had followed her around to commit the offences.
Mizuno first molested the girl in a shop in Jurong East Street 31. About 10 minutes later, the teenager entered a nearby supermarket and spotted him at the entrance.
She saw him again when she left the supermarket and went to another shop.
The girl went back to the supermarket after buying some items at this store.
She was at the baking products section at about 6pm when she felt somebody touching her right buttock.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Adrianni Marhain said: "She immediately elbowed the accused, who was the only person standing behind her. The accused was not carrying anything and the baking products section was not crowded or narrow.
"The victim left the supermarket after making payment for some items. She contacted her mother and told her what happened at the supermarket."
The court heard that the girl lodged a police report at about 9pm the next day, stating that she had been molested twice in Jurong East Street 31.
On Friday, Mizuno's lawyer, Ms Wong Shi Yun, pleaded for her client to be given a fine of not more than $4,000.
She also stressed that the offence he pleaded guilty to involved a "fleeting touch".
Mizuno pleaded guilty in February to committing the offence. A second molestation charge involving the same girl was considered during sentencing.
Albirex Niigata Singapore football club declined to comment on the case when contacted.
Offenders convicted of molestation can be jailed for up to two years and fined or caned.
