Man jailed for molesting 11-year-old in swimming pool shower, filming boys in public toilets

SINGAPORE: A man was sentenced on Tuesday (Mar 29) to 23 months and four weeks' jail and three strokes of the cane for molesting an 11-year-old boy in a shower stall and taking videos of boys in toilets at various locations.

Neo Cheok Leong, 47, pleaded guilty to one count of outrage of modesty and nine counts of making obscene films. Forty-two more charges, mostly for making obscene films, were considered for sentencing.

The identity of the 11-year-old victim is protected by a gag order. The court heard that Neo, an engineer, met the boy over YouTube in 2017. They bonded over a shared liking for music.

On Sep 13, 2017, Neo invited the victim and another person, whose name was redacted from court documents, for a swim at Toa Payoh Swimming Complex.

They finished their swim in the evening and went to shower in the male toilet. Neo offered to shower in the same cubicle as the victim, who agreed because the shower rooms were crowded.

Once they were in the cubicle, Neo closed the door. The victim said he could shower on his own, but Neo replied: "It's okay one lah. Just shower with me. I won't do anything to you lah."

The victim removed his swimming trunks and started to shower. Neo also undressed. While showering, Neo suddenly hugged the victim from the back, kissed him and molested him.

Between 2017 and 2018, Neo also took a total of 49 videos of boys in male toilets. These were recorded at various locations, including HomeTeamNS facilities in Bukit Batok and Sembawang, Siloso Beach and other swimming complexes. One of the videos was taken in Japan.

Neo did not know the boys in the videos, which captured them with their private parts and buttocks exposed. Some of the videos also captured Neo naked.

Police were alerted to the offences on the evening of Aug 18, 2018, when they received a call about a man trying to take a photo of someone else in the shower at HomeTeamNS Sembawang.

When police arrived and interviewed Neo, he admitted to recording a video of someone showering in a cubicle.

The phone was seized and forensic examinations revealed nine videos of boys showering. These were taken in the male toilets at Siloso Beach between January 2017 and February 2018.

The prosecution sought a sentence of 25 months' jail and three to four strokes of the cane, highlighting that the victim was especially vulnerable given his young age.

The degree of sexual exploitation was also "egregious and reprehensible", said the prosecution, as there was skin-on-skin contact with the victim's private part.

Neo's "overall brazen and serial nature of offending" was also demonstrated by the numerous charges taken into consideration, all of which were committed in public places, said the prosecution.