An art teacher who molested a male Secondary 2 student while helping the latter with an art project was sentenced to 22 months’ jail on Tuesday (14 August).

In sentencing the 38-year-old teacher, District Judge John Ng noted that the school’s principal, vice-principal and other teachers held the teacher in “high esteem”.

The teacher, a Singaporean, had not planned the conduct but had “succumbed to certain desires”, said the judge.

DJ Ng added that the accused’s loss of a career was not a punishment he considered as part of the sentence but a consequence. “Teaching is something that you love to do, but (it) gave you the very opportunity to commit the offence,” he said.

The teacher, who cannot be named to protect the victim’s identity, had stood trial and was convicted on 16 July on three counts of molesting the 13-year-old.

The accused was in charge of the Higher Art O-level subject and taught students from the Secondary 2 to Secondary 4 levels.

According to court documents, the victim first came to know the teacher in 2015 when the latter would assist in the victim’s Secondary 1 art classes. The man then became the student’s art teacher when the victim entered Secondary 2.

The boy was elected as an art representative for his class in the same year and would meet the teacher once or twice a week in his duties.

Teacher’s sexual advances

On 17 February 2016, the victim stayed back after school with two friends to complete a group project in the school’s art studio. The teacher was supervising the students in the studio at the time.

The victim’s friends left at around 2.30pm. Sometime after 3pm, as the boy was working on his project, the teacher came up to him, poked his ribs, tickled his right underarm and squeezed the right area of his chest.

The teacher told the victim that he looked like a Japanese porn character. The boy was shocked by the teacher’s actions but shrugged them off as he wanted to complete his sculpture and return home.

Other students present in the studio at the time were seated a few tables away.

About an hour later, the boy took his sculpture to a restricted area of the room to seek the teacher’s help.

Alone in the partitioned area, the teacher repeatedly asked the boy if he masturbated. He commented that the boy had very long and “very sexy” leg hair and asked if he had grown pubic and underarm hair.

He then grabbed the boy’s left ankle before molesting the boy under his shorts. As the boy backed away, the teacher grabbed his left wrist, pulled him back and molested the boy over his shorts several more times.

Shocked by the actions, the boy pushed the teacher’s hand away before leaving the room with sculpture.

That night, the boy confided in his sister and mother about what had happened. His mother called the boy’s form teacher, who later alerted the school’s management.

Victim was passionate about art

According to the prosecution, the victim had been passionate about art and considered it his favourite subject. Following the offences, however, he did not like it as much any more.

The victim has also become wary of teachers and is now uncomfortable being left alone in a room with them.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Michael Quilindo had asked for a sentence of between 28 and 32 months and three strokes of the cane, saying that the teacher had abused the trust that had been placed in him.

“He was the 13-year-old victim’s art teacher in school, and the victim had considered him to be ‘very caring and able to guide his students”, said Quilindo. “Unfortunately, the (teacher) took advantage of this veneer of respectability.”

The teacher had also “engaged in inappropriate sexual conversational topics that were designed to seduce and prime the victim to be receptive towards sexual activity”, added the DPP.

Shashi Nathan, the teacher’s lawyer, asked for a jail term of between 15 and 18 months, noting that his client was a “good teacher” and was generally liked by students.

“That’s the end of his career. He is never going to work as a teacher again,” said Shashi, adding that the prosecution’s sentence would be “too harsh”.

Shashi told the court that his client intends to appeal against his conviction and sentence.

Related stories:

Art teacher found guilty of molesting 13-year-old student in school

Trial continues for secondary school teacher accused of molesting student

Secondary school molest case: Victim recounted alleged act for teachers, vice-principal