Jobless man who molested teenager at bus stop, stole man's wallet jailed
File photo of a gavel. (Photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
SINGAPORE: A jobless man who molested a teenager at a bus stop and stole valuables worth more than S$500 from a kitchen assistant was on Wednesday (Jul 11) sentenced to 21 months and three weeks' jail.
Sim Teck Chye, 45, entered the Amitabha Building in Geylang on Dec 21 last year, with the intention to steal.
The building houses the Amitabha Buddhist Society and also doubles as a place of lodging.
Sim tried to open a few doors on the seventh floor and found that one door was unlocked. He entered the unit, where a kitchen assistant with Amitabha Buddhist Society was staying.
The man, 25-year-old Lee Sai Hao, had left the door unlocked when he returned to work.
Sim searched the unit and found Mr Lee's wallet in a drawer. He took the wallet, valued at S$30, along with S$390 and RM250 (S$84).
When Mr Lee returned to his unit, he found his cash and wallet missing and made a police report.
SIM MOLESTED SECONDARY SCHOOL GIRL AT BUS STOP
About six weeks later, at about 7pm on Jan 31, 2018, Sim approached a 14-year-old secondary school student at a bus stop in Tampines Avenue 2.
The girl had been with a male classmate, but he left to talk to a few friends while they were waiting for their bus.
According to court documents, Sim poked the girl's breast with his finger. He then asked her if she could help him to call for bus number 28. The victim was speechless and did not know how to react. Her male classmate returned and Sim quickly left.
Two buses arrived at this time and the two students boarded bus 34, where they sat at the back and discussed what to do about the incident.
The boy noticed that Sim was also on the same bus. The two students contacted their form teacher, who advised them to notify the bus driver. However, while one of their friends approached the bus captain, Sim got off at a bus stop and fled.
The girl lodged a police report that night saying she was molested. Sim was arrested on Feb 5 this year.
For assault or use of criminal force with intent to outrage a person's modesty, Sim could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or any combination of the three penalties.
For trespassing on a house to commit an offence, he could have been jailed for up to two years and fined, with the jail term extended to seven years if the offence intended to be committed is theft.
For theft in dwelling, he could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined.
