Primary school teacher allegedly molested girl thrice including at workplace
SINGAPORE — A male primary school teacher has been charged with molesting a girl on three occasions including at his workplace and a cinema complex.
The offences allegedly happened between 2016 and 2018 when the victim was between 10 and 13 years old, according to a report by The Straits Times.
The 36-year-old man, who faces three counts of molestation, was charged on Wednesday (24 August) and offered bail of $15,000, the report said.
The identities of the man and his school cannot be revealed to protect the girl’s identity under a gag order.
Among the alleged offences, the man slapped the girl on her buttocks over her clothes in 2016 and hugged her at the school in 2017. It is unclear from court documents if the girl was his student then.
The man is also accused of touching the girl’s abdomen while they were at Golden Village Yishun multiplex in 2018.
A Ministry of Education (MOE) spokesperson said, "MOE takes a serious view of staff misconduct and will not hesitate to take disciplinary action against those who fail to adhere to our standards of conduct and discipline, including dismissal from service."
The spokesperson told ST that the man no longer teaches at any school and had been suspended from duty since June 2020.
A pre-trial conference for the case will be heard on 23 September.
If convicted for molesting a victim below 14 years old, the man may face jail of up to five years, a fine, caning or be sentenced to any combination of such punishments.
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