Man charged with molesting 14-year-old boy living in same block as him
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SINGAPORE - A man was charged on Tuesday after he allegedly molested a 14-year-old boy, his neighbour who lives in the same block as him.
The name of the 47-year-old man and the location of the offence cannot be revealed due to a gag order protecting the victim’s identity.
The man, who faces a charge of aggravated outrage of modesty, has been remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for medical examination.
His case has been adjourned to July 18.
The police said they received a report of the alleged crime on Sunday at around 11.30am.
With the aid of footage from closed-circuit television (CCTV) and police cameras, officers from Bedok Police Division established the identity of the man and arrested him within four hours of the report.
The police said: “We have zero tolerance towards sexual offenders who threaten the safety of the community. Offenders will be dealt with sternly in accordance with the law.”
Members of the public are urged to remain vigilant and to inform the police if they witness an outrage of modesty incident or if they are aware of someone who is a victim of such a crime.
If found guilty, the man can be jailed for up to 10 years and caned.
According to the police’s annual crime statistics released in February, the total number of cases of outrage of modesty, or molestation, jumped to 1,610 in 2022, compared with 1,474 in 2021.
Almost six in 10 of the cases in 2022 involved culprits known to the victims, the police said.
