Former pre-school worker accused of molesting toddler to be remanded at IMH
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SINGAPORE - A man accused of molesting a two-year-old girl at a pre-school, where he worked as a non-teaching staff member, will be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for a medical examination.
This was after the 59-year-old Malaysian informed an investigation officer that he needed psychiatric help.
A police prosecutor told District Judge Brenda Tan on Dec 13 that the man may have a mental condition, considering the nature of the charge and the victim’s age. The case will be heard in court again on Dec 27.
The man, who appeared in court via video link from the Central Police Division, had allegedly molested the child between 1pm and 3pm on Nov 9. He cannot be named because of a gag order to protect the girl’s identity.
Details such as his name and that of the school have also been redacted from court documents.
The school made a police report on Dec 2 and the man, a Singapore permanent resident, was arrested two days later.
He was charged on Dec 6 with one count of molestation,
The man no longer works for the pre-school, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) said earlier in a statement.
The agency said it was made aware of the case on Dec 5, and proceeded to instruct the pre-school to closely monitor its children and provide close supervision and guidance to its staff.
“We will be working with the pre-school to ensure the safety and well-being of enrolled children,” the agency added.
ECDA also said that before any staff member is deployed to pre-schools, the agency will check if they have any previous criminal offences involving children, or have been barred earlier from working in the pre-school sector.
The agency added: “ECDA expects all pre-schools to report all serious incidents that affect the safety of children within 24 hours.
“If it is proven there is unreasonable delay in the reporting, we will take the pre-school to task.”
Offenders convicted of molesting a child below 14 years old can be jailed for up to five years, fined, caned or receive any combination of such punishments.
Caning is not meted out to women and offenders who are older than 50.
