AT THE COURT
Jail, caning for dance instructor who molested two boys
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A freelance instructor, engaged on a contract basis to teach dance to children, molested two boys on separate occasions at their primary schools.
The 42-year-old Singaporean man was yesterday sentenced to three years and 10 months' jail with six strokes of the cane after he pleaded guilty to three molestation charges.
He cannot be named owing to a gag order to protect the children's identities.
Some time in mid-2016, the first victim, who was about nine or 10 years old at the time, was preparing for a dance performance at his school when the man came over to adjust his costume and molested him.
The pupils, two teachers and the man later went to the dance room of the school after the performance for a debriefing.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Chong Ee Hsiun said: "Halfway through the debrief session... the accused... slipped both hands into the victim's shorts and (molested him)...(for) about 15 to 20 seconds."
The boy attended a sexual education class in late August 2020 and decided to tell a teacher and his mother about the "inappropriate touches". He alerted the police the following month.
Meanwhile, the court heard that the man was at another primary school in November 2019 when he molested a 10-year-old boy.
In February 2020, the pupils from the dance group, their teachers and the man were in a bus travelling to a performance venue when he molested the boy again.
The second victim attended sexual education classes six months later and told his teacher about his ordeal. A police report was made soon after.
In an earlier statement to The Straits Times, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said that the man has since been deregistered from its registry of instructors and is no longer engaged by any school.
The man's bail was set at $8,000 yesterday and he was ordered to surrender himself at the State Courts next Thursday to begin serving his sentence.
For each count of molesting a child below 14, an offender can be jailed for up to five years and fined or caned.
Shaffiq Alkhatib
