Cobbler gets jail and caning for raping Sec 1 girl

SINGAPORE — A 44-year-old cobbler was sentenced to 14 years’ jail and 14 strokes of the cane today (May 27) for raping a girl nearly 30 years his junior and sexually penetrating her with his finger in 2013.

Terence Ng Kean Meng, a divorcee, got to know his victim in October 2013 around his makeshift stall near Commonwealth MRT. He noticed her loitering around and when asked, she told him she was afraid to go home as she had run away from home. He accompanied her home and met her parents, even offering to be her godfather.

He developed an attraction to her and on Oct 29, 2013, Ng took the girl to his home in Tanglin Halt. He rubbed ointment on her stomach after she complained about feeling unwell. He asked her if she wanted to have sexual intercourse and she agreed. He then inserted his finger into her vagina in the toilet.

A few days later he had sex with her in the flat.

The girl was in Secondary One at the time and cannot be named to protect her identity.

The offences came to light after the girl’s mother died from illness and she confided in someone at her school. She later made a police report and Ng was arrested in February last year.

Ng pleaded guilty and Justice Tay Yong Kwang sentenced him to 13 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane for statutory rape, and one year’s jail and two strokes of the cane for penetrating her with his finger. Two other charges were taken into consideration.