11 men to be charged with molestation of women, underage girls
A total of 11 men will be charged in court with outrage of modesty after allegedly molesting women, including two girls who were just nine and 14.
The men, aged 21 to 67, acted separately between April 2023 and January 2024, the police said in a statement on Jan 22.
The oldest of the suspects, a 67-year-old man, was arrested on April 7, 2023, for allegedly molesting a 14-year-old girl in Bugis Street. He faces three counts of outrage of modesty.
On April 18, 2023, a 24-year-old man allegedly molested a nine-year-old girl in a Tampines housing estate. A police report was lodged five days later and the suspect was arrested within an hour. He will be charged with one count of outrage of modesty of a person below 14.
On Aug 6, 2023, a man, 48, allegedly struck thrice on the same day, molesting three women in Orchard Road. The youngest victim was 18 and the oldest, 40.
He also allegedly choked a fourth woman, 20, and shoved her backwards. He was arrested on the same day and faces three counts of outrage of modesty and one count of using criminal force.
Another man, 55, allegedly punched and kicked a 31-year-old woman, on top of outraging her modesty. He was arrested at the scene – a coffee shop in Kelantan Lane – on Sept 11, 2023.
Two men, aged 40 and 29, allegedly preyed on women in nightspots. The 40-year-old allegedly molested a woman, 29, at a club in River Valley Road, while the 29-year-old was arrested at a club in Bayfront Avenue.
A 57-year-old man was arrested 17 days after allegedly molesting a woman, 32, near the junction of River Valley Road and Nathan Road on Sept 1, 2023. The police said the suspect was identified and arrested after “extensive follow-up investigations and ground inquiries”.
If found guilty of outrage of modesty of a person below 14, an offender can be jailed for up to five years, fined, caned, or any combination of the three.
If found guilty of outrage of modesty, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined, caned, or any combination of the three.
The police said they will continue to work closely with public entertainment outlets and the community to prevent and deter molestation cases. Members of the public are urged to remain vigilant and report any incidents of molestation to the police immediately.
The number of outrage of modesty cases have been rising in the last two years, with the 1,610 recorded cases in 2022 up by 9 per cent from the 1,474 cases in 2021.
The figures for 2023 have not been made public yet.
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