Ex-teacher charged with sexual grooming of girl, 14; accused of indecent acts towards her in school

SINGAPORE: A former teacher was charged on Friday (Jun 14) with the sexual grooming of a 14-year-old girl, to whom he allegedly committed indecent acts in a school.  

The 39-year-old was handed three charges under the Children and Young Persons Act for indecent acts with a person under 16, and one count of sexual grooming.

A gag order was imposed on both the accused and the girl's identity, along with the name of the school involved. 

When asked about the case, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said that the accused has been interdicted since October last year and no longer teaches in any school. 

An MOE spokesperson said that the ministry takes a serious view of staff misconduct and will take disciplinary action against those who fall short of standards, including dismissal from service.

Between September 2022 and Nov 27, 2022, the accused is said to have committed indecent acts towards the girl by hugging her, kissing her cheeks and forehead, and touching her stomach over her shirt at various locations. 

Another two of the accused's charges relate to his behaviour towards her in a vehicle at a multi-storey carpark in Jurong on Nov 28, 2022. He allegedly touched her bare thighs and had her kiss his cheeks after deliberately bringing her to the car park, where he asked her to get into the back seat with him. 

In January last year, the accused allegedly hugged the girl for about two minutes and kissed her cheeks and forehead near a school hall.

The case will return for a further mention on Jul 11. 

If convicted of sexual grooming, the man may be jailed up to three years, or fined, or both. 

If convicted of committing indecent acts with a person under 16, he may be jailed up to five years, or fined up to S$10,000 (US$7,390).