SINGAPORE - A 75-year-old man was jailed for three months on Tuesday (March 7) for molesting a 10-year-old girl.

Cleaner Mowvalappil Ussainer K. Alikunhi pleaded guilty to one count of outrage of modesty.

A second molestation charge involving the same girl was taken into consideration during sentencing.

The girl was on her way home after buying lunch at a coffee shop in the northern part of Singapore at around noon on May 31 last year when she spotted Mowvalappil.

She ignored him at first, but turned around when she heard him calling out to her.

The cleaner then asked the girl why he had not seen her for two months and asked her to follow him.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Taufiq Suraidi said: "The victim said no as she needed to go home. The accused then grabbed the victim's arms with both his hands and pulled her under one of the blocks."

Mowvalappil suddenly kissed her lips before touching her chest area with both his hands.

When the girl pushed him away, he wrote down his mobile phone number on a slip of paper, passed it to her and asked her to call him.

The girl arrived home and her grandfather alerted the police at around 2.45pm after she recounted her ordeal.

In mitigation, defence lawyer, Mr R. Dilip Kumar, told District Judge Eddy Tham that his client is an elderly man who suffers from joint pains.

He also said that Mowvalappil felt remorse for committing the offence.

For molesting the girl, he could have been jailed up to five years and fined.

He cannot be caned as he is above 50 years old.