9 years’ jail for female teacher who committed sexual acts on female student on bus, in school toilet
The victim, a 15-year-old student at the time, suffered from nightmares and struggled to trust adults after what happened.
The State Courts of Singapore. (File photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
New: You can now listen to articles.
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
SINGAPORE: A 35-year-old teacher was sentenced to nine years’ jail on Monday (Oct 5) for performing several sexual acts on her then-15-year-old student.
The teacher had pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual penetration of a minor and two charges of sexually exploiting a young person under the age of 16.
Another five charges of sexually exploiting a young person, one charge of sexual grooming and another for sexual communication with a minor were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Both teacher and student cannot be named due to a gag order.
She had performed the sex acts on the student at several locations, such as the school toilet, a karaoke room and on a bus.
As a result of the teacher’s actions, the student suffered from nightmares, could not focus and struggled to trust adults.
In sentencing, District Judge Paul Chan said that she had made a “serious error of judgement”, but that the judgement was not on her as a “mother or wife”.
THE CASE
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Yeo Kee Hwan told the court that the woman was the victim’s mathematics teacher.
The victim was a Secondary 3 female student, had a history of family problems and struggled with various mental health conditions, including adjustment disorder.
Child Protection Services had intervened in her family situation previously due to concerns of her parents’ use of harsh physical punishment on her.
Her teachers at the time of the offences, including the accused, were aware of her difficulties at home, said DPP Yeo.
The court heard that the offender began teaching the student in 2023.
In April that year, the student approached the teacher to seek support and advice on family matters.
“They eventually entered into what the victim described as a ‘situationship’ and engaged in a series of sexual encounters from Oct 13, to Nov 21, 2023,” said DPP Yeo.
The first encounter occurred in a karaoke room on Oct 13, 2023.
Over the next two days, the teacher and student discussed the first encounter, and both agreed to stop engaging in further acts.
However, on Oct 16, after the student finished an exam, the teacher took the student to a female staff toilet where they committed another sexual act.
They continued committing the acts at various locations, including on the upper deck of a double-decker bus and in a room rented to watch movies.
DPP Yeo said that after the teacher and student fell out, the student informed her Child Protection Services-appointed safety adult on Jan 16, 2024 that she had been sexually assaulted on three occasions.
The matter was referred to the school’s vice principal, who then took the student to lodge a police report the next day.
Following this, the student would break down in school as the environment reminded her of what happened. She was then diagnosed with adjustment disorder.
The court also heard that the student suffered from insomnia, had suicidal thoughts, nightmares, flashbacks and recurrent thoughts about the offences.
Mathematics lessons reminded her of the offences, and she struggled to focus. She also had difficulty trusting adults and would have panic attacks. As a result, her academic performance deteriorated.
A doctor from the Institute of Mental Health said that her symptoms were consistent with a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD).
“REMORSEFUL”
DPP Yeo and DPP Selene Yap called for a total sentence of eight years’ and 14 to 16 months’ imprisonment, describing the relationship and acts as “exploitative”.
The teacher was represented by Mr Kalaithasan Karuppaya of Regent Law LLC.
Mr Kalaithasan said during mitigation that she was remorseful, as evident from her cooperation with investigations and her plea of guilt.
He called for a sentence of eight years’ and six months’ jail.
“Her actions were due to a lapse in judgment. This is a scar that will remain with her for the rest of her life,” said Mr Kalaithasan.
He added that the woman had sought professional help from a psychiatrist.
Her husband also provided a testimonial of her as a wife and mother to a four-year-old, and said that he believes she is “capable of genuine rehabilitation”.
In meting out the sentence, Judge Chan said that the woman had made “serious errors of judgement” and that her actions crossed professional boundaries.
He also acknowledged the harm caused to the victim, but added that he hoped the woman would turn over a new leaf.
“I have read the many testimonials tendered to you, and it’s clear you have many redeeming qualities. Upon your release, apply these qualities for the benefit of your family and wider community,” he said.
After the sentence was read out, the woman began to cry.
For sexual penetration of a minor, she could have been jailed for up to 20 years and fined. While the punishment for such a crime includes caning, criminals above the age of 50 and women cannot be caned.
She also faced a fine of up to S$10,000, jail for up to five years, or both, for sexually exploiting a minor.
Source: CNA/lo(gr)
Sign up for our newsletters
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
