Man jailed 18 months for threatening to kill girl, 18, and stalking her younger sister

SINGAPORE - A library assistant who had subjected two young sisters to anguish over the last six years was sentenced to 18 months' jail on Thursday (May 25).

Tan Yao Min, 21, had stalked the girls, now aged 18 and 14, and sent them letters with threats to rape and kill one of them.

Tan admitted to criminal intimidation, intentionally causing alarm and unlawful stalking. Three other charges were considered during his sentencing.

Tan had left two handwritten notes in a flyer box which was outside a neighbour's flat next to their uncle's home on Jan 12 this year. The victims live next to their uncle's home.

In the first letter, Tan stated, among other things, that wanted to have sex with the 18-year-old girl, get her pregnant and "get Aids".

He also wrote: "I like to kill her and make myself suffer."

In the second letter, he said he had "lost everything" and found life "meaningless". He also wrote: "Please report me to the police."

He was arrested the next day (Jan 13) after the older girl made a police report.

On Feb 20, he penned two more letters which were found in the same flyer box.

In the first letter, he stated that he loved "your daughter" and even thought of having sex with her. He asked to be allowed to have paid sex with the "second daughter".

"I want to possess her. I even want to touch your elder daughter because she is too pretty. I imagine having sex with both of them on a bed," he wrote.

The "elder daughter" referred to the 18-year-old victim and the "second daughter", the 14-year-old girl.

In the second letter, he again said life was "meaningless" and noted that he had a pending case. He expressed a desire to go to prison.

Tan also requested that the letter be handed to the police so that he would suffer "earlier".

The girls' 73-year-old grandmother found the second batch of letters and made a police report on Feb 22. Tan was arrested two days later.

Tan had been stalking the girls between Jan 12 and Feb 24 this year, investigations showed. He waited for the younger girl at a bench near her home, followed her around the neighbourhood and sent her a Facebook invite to add her as a friend.

Back in 2011, Tan had made statements that he wanted to have sex with the younger victim, then eight, resulting in her suffering from "prolonged mental trauma", said Deputy Public Prosecutor Chong Kee En.

Tan was sent to a juvenile home for 30 months for mischief, attempted mischief and wrongful confinement.

But he was at it again after his release. In 2015, Tan was given probation for making insulting communication by asking to have sex with the victims, then aged 12 and 16.

Although Tan was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and suffers from immature personality, DPP Chong said Tan appreciates the nature of his offences.

The DPP sought a total sentence of one year and eight months.

A government psychiatrist felt that Tan had a "high risk" of engaging in anti-social behaviour. He was concerned that Tan might pose a substantial risk to his victims.

Tan, who was unrepresented, said in court that he had no intention of hurting anyone.

"I just want back my freedom. I don't like people to disturb me, the police or doctor to disturb me," he said.

District Judge Samuel Chua told him that he must realise that his actions had affected the victims and their family members, and the law does not allow him to be doing the things he had done.

The judge told him that what he had done was "very serious", and whoever received those threatening letters would feel afraid of what he might do to them.

He advised Tan to think about what he had done while behind bars, and not to repeat the same behaviour after his release from prison.

Tan could have been jailed for up to seven years or more for criminal intimidation. The maximum punishment for stalking is a $5,000 fine and 12 months' jail; and for intentionally causing alarm,a $5,000 fine and six months' jail.