The court has sentenced a young offender diagnosed with a paedophilic disorder to a year in the Reformative Training Centre (RTC), where he can receive help in a psychological programme.

Those found guilty of outraging the modesty of someone under 14 can be jailed for up to five years, fined and caned.

Jeremy Low was 20, and out on bail for molesting an 11-year-old boy in April last year, when he molested a five-year-old girl.

The second incident happened while Low was on his way to meet his lawyer in October last year.

Yesterday, District Judge May Mesenas said Low had stated he was a victim of molestation himself when he was a child. Low thought because his attacker had escaped punishment, he too could get away with the crime.

Judge Mesenas told Low his victims have been robbed of their innocence and also traumatised because of their age.

She said Low should understand how that felt, having been a victim himself.

"So this cycle has to be broken," Judge Mesenas said before sentencing him.

While she took his age into consideration, she said there were many aggravating factors in the case, such as Low's re-offending while out on bail.

As a result, she sentenced him to a minimum of one year in the RTC, which is meant for offenders between 14 and 21 years old. They are detained in a structured environment for at least six months.

Low had molested the boy, who was in his school uniform, after following him to a lift lobby in Bukit Panjang.

While out on bail, he molested the girl in the storeroom of her mother's North Bridge Road shop.