Former pre-school worker who allegedly molested toddler may face more charges
A 59-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a two-year-old girl in a pre-school may be handed additional charges of a similar nature, a district court heard.
The man, a former pre-school staff member who was charged on Dec 6, 2023, had his case mentioned again on Jan 24. He cannot be named because of a gag order to protect the victim’s identity.
The police prosecutor said the man may face three other similar charges, but did not give more details about the offences.
As the investigation officer requires more time to complete investigations and obtain directions from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the prosecutor asked to adjourn the case.
No bail was offered to the man, who is Malaysian and a Singapore permanent resident.
The man has been remanded for more than a month. He was charged in court on Dec 6 with one count of using criminal force on a person below 14 years old with intent to outrage modesty.
According to court documents, he had allegedly used criminal force on the toddler by placing his right hand inside her diaper and using his fingers to molest her.
The incident happened on Nov 9, 2023, between 1pm and 3pm. The location of the alleged offence was redacted from the charge sheet.
His case will be heard again on Feb 21. He is represented by Mr Revi Shanker of Arshanker Law Chambers.
The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) told The Straits Times previously that the man, who is a non-teaching staff member, has been dismissed by the pre-school.
ECDA said it was made aware of the case on Dec 5, 2023, and has instructed the pre-school in question to closely monitor its children and provide close supervision and guidance to its staff.
The regulatory agency also said that before staff are deployed to pre-schools, it will check if they have any previous criminal offences involving children, or were barred earlier from working in the pre-school sector.
“ECDA expects all pre-schools to report all serious incidents that affect the safety of children within 24 hours,” it said.
“If it is proven there is unreasonable delay in the reporting, we will take the pre-school to task.”
Those found guilty of using criminal force on a person below 14 years old with intent to outrage modesty can be jailed for up to five years, fined, caned, or receive any combination of such punishments.
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