Jail for man who preyed sexually on 14-year-old girl but was caught red-handed by her father

SINGAPORE: When he discovered his girlfriend had purportedly slept with another man, a 24-year-old man felt cheated and began chatting up a 14-year-old girl on a chat application to "feel a bit better".

He later progressed to engaging in sex acts with her, thinking of her as a "friend with benefits", culminating in illicit sex at her home.

The girl's parents returned home while he was in the shower, and when he emerged from the toilet naked, the girl's father confronted him and slapped him. The girl's mother forbade him from getting dressed until the police arrived. 

Teo Yao Hong, who was a Grab driver and warehouse assistant at the time of the offences, was sentenced to 23 months' jail on Thursday (Oct 7).

He pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual penetration of a minor, with another four charges considered in sentencing.

The court heard that Teo met his girlfriend on a chat application in April 2019 when she was also 14. They began dating, and she began performing sex acts on him after she turned 16.

In October 2019, Teo purportedly found out that his girlfriend had sex with another man. Feeling "cheated and disappointed", he wanted to "feel a bit better" and returned to the chat app where he met the victim, who was 14.

He described their relationship as "friends with benefits" and first met the girl on Jun 28, 2020 at the void deck of her flat. 

She was wearing her school uniform and she agreed to sex when Teo asked her about it, the prosecutor said. They performed sex acts on each other at a staircase landing that same day.

Two days later, Teo went over to the girl's home when she was alone and they engaged in sexual intercourse. He went to her home again on Oct 19, 2020, when she was alone.

He committed the offence of sexual penetration of a minor again, before going to the bathroom to clean up. While he was in the toilet, the girl's parents returned home.

Teo hid in the toilet for about an hour, but the girl's father grew suspicious. Eventually, Teo emerged from the toilet naked.

The girl's father questioned Teo, asking if he knew how old his daughter was. He replied that he knew she was 15.

Angered, the girl's father slapped Teo's face, while the girl's mother called the police. Teo asked if he could put on his clothes, but the girl's mother said he could not do so and had to wait until the police arrived.

He was later arrested by police. A pair of underwear, his phone and the girl's phone were seized.

The prosecutor called for two years' jail, highlighting that Teo had initiated the sexual meet-ups and activities.

"There was no romantic relationship between him and (the victim), and his intentions towards her were purely sexual in nature," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Chong Kee En.

He said Teo knew exactly how young the girl was - she was 14 during the first three occasions of sex.

"There is some suggestion of predatory behaviour given his relationship with (his girlfriend), and the fact that he chatted up two different girls online," he said.

For each charge of sexual penetration of a minor, he could have been jailed up to 10 years, fined, or both.