SINGAPORE: A 17-year-old boy who sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl at a staircase landing and forced his schoolmate to touch his privates was sentenced to probation on Thursday (Jan 2).

The teenager, whose name was redacted from court documents, was given 21 months' probation and has to perform 150 hours of community service, as well as undergo psychological intervention to address his sexual offending behaviour.



He pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual penetration of a minor under 14 and another of an indecent act with a child, with three other charges taken into consideration.

The court heard that the boy committed his first offences in 2018, when he was 16.

He got to know the 13-year-old victim as they were in the same co-curricular activity in secondary school.

The victim liked the boy and wanted to be close to him, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Angela Ang.



In March 2018, the pair went to a staircase landing at a multistorey car park in Woodlands and kissed.

When the victim told the boy that she wanted to eat ice cream, he made a vulgar remark and they quarrelled before the boy left.

They returned to the staircase during the school holidays in June and were talking when the boy suddenly pulled down his pants and forcibly placed the girl's hand on his exposed genitals.

The girl froze before pulling away, and the boy was upset as she "did not do anything" to him, and said "she had wasted his time".

The girl later confided in a friend, who told a teacher about the matter, and made a police report.

HE MET HIS SECOND VICTIM ON INSTAGRAM

The boy went on to prey on another victim, also aged 13, who had heard from a friend that he was "hot" and "handsome".

Wanting to find out for herself, the girl followed the boy on Instagram in late 2018 and he returned the favour.

They began chatting on Instagram, before setting a date for lunch in February 2019.

Before meeting the girl, the boy asked her if she wanted his nudes, but she did not understand what he meant.

She thought he was referring to his face, as she associated the word "nude" with the make-up brand Nude.

She said yes, thinking the boy would send her a picture of his face, and was shocked to see a photo of his genitals.

He asked her for a photo in return, and she sent him one of her clothed chest, later taking a photo of her naked chest at his request for a more "open" photo, but editing it to blur it.

They met on Feb 25 outside a Long John Silver's restaurant and the girl followed the accused "because she liked him and thought that he was bringing her to a staircase to lepak (Malay for chill)", said the prosecutor.

At the staircase landing between floors eight and nine at a block of flats in Woodlands, the boy asked the victim to perform oral sex on him.

He then sexually assaulted her, and the girl started crying and told him that she felt pain.

He told her to bear with it and continued his actions, the court heard.

After the incident, the girl sent the accused a message on Instagram asking what would happen between them.

When he answered that he did not know, they began quarrelling, and the girl later told her senior about what had happened.

A teacher was informed and a police report lodged.

The boy's parents furnished a bond of S$5,000 to ensure his good behaviour.

For sexual penetration of a minor, he could have been jailed for up to 20 years and fined or caned.

For an indecent act with a child, he could have been jailed for up to five years, fined S$10,000, or both.