Man gets 18 months’ jail for molesting boy, 6, at fast-food joint
AFP file photo.
SINGAPORE — A 60-year-old man, who had entered a Burger King fast-food outlet to sell tissue-paper packs to patrons there, molested a six-year-old boy while he was waiting for his mother to buy his meal.
Abdul Halim Ibrahim was sentenced to 18 months’ jail on Friday (Nov 24), after he admitted to one count of outraging the boy’s modesty.
He also faced another count of outraging the modesty of a 60-year-old woman, which was taken into consideration during sentencing.
The court heard that the boy, who cannot be named as a minor, had gone to the Burger King outlet along Chai Chee Road on Sept 9, to have breakfast with his mother and brother.
The two boys sat a table nearest the entrance, and the mother left to order food.
It was then that Abdul Halim entered, and sat himself beside the boy. After asking how old he was, Abdul Halim then placed his hand on the boy’s crotch and rubbed the area. He only stopped when the boy’s mother saw what had happened and immediately confronted him.
He was later arrested around Bedok Central on the same day.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Jesintha Veijayaratnam said that during a forensic psychiatric assessment, Abdul Halim denied being sexually attracted to the young boy, but admitted to committing the acts to make the child “feel good”.
The prosecutor urged the court to impose a jail sentence of at least 18 months, pointing out that the boy’s young age made him a vulnerable victim.
DPP Jesintha also pointed out the man’s long offending history, including a previous case in 1990 for outrage of modesty. He had also committed theft and drug-related offences, the court heard.
Abdul Halim, who had no lawyer, pleaded for leniency. “I promise I will not reoffend,” the unemployed man said through a Malay interpreter.
For outrage of modesty of a person under the age of 14, Abdul Halim could have been jailed up to five years, and/or fined or caned.
