Man allegedly ask victims to feel his heartbeat before molesting them

[MarrickG]

A 47-YEAR-OLD man dubbed the 'heartbeat molester' was charged in court on Thursday with one count of molesting an 11-year-old girl.

Martin Tan Chye Guan is said to have stroked the girl on the right arm and slid his fingers beneath her sleeve at a staircase landing of a block of flats in Hougang Street 91 on Aug 26.

He was remanded at Ang Mo Kio police division for further investigation. His case will be mentioned on Thursday.

Tan, who is believed to be involved in other similar cases, would ask his victims to feel his heartbeat as a pretext or prelude to molesting them.

Last month, police issued an appeal for information which included CCTV images of the suspect. A member of the public came forward and tipped off the police after seeing the CCTV image.

Tan was arrested at a unit in Compassvale on Tuesday.

If convicted, he faces a jail term of up to five years or fine or caning or any combined punishment.

 

[Kiyomori Taira]

Apr 1, 2011

Heartbeat molester gets 10 years and caning

By Elena Chong

Martin Tan Chye Guan, 48, was sentenced to 10 years' jail and 21 strokes of the cane for molesting young girls over a span of 11 years. -- PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE

A MAN dubbed the heartbeat molester was sentenced to 10 years' jail and 21 strokes of the cane on Friday for molesting young girls over a span of 11 years.

Described as one of the worst serial offenders, Martin Tan Chye Guan, 48, pleaded guilty to eight of 28 charges of outrage of modesty.

He has been diagnosed a paedophile by the Institute of Mental Health.

In all, 28 victims aged seven to 12 were molested by him in various parts of Singapore between Feb 1, 1999 and Oct 8 last year.

Tan, then a courier and part-time property agent, was arrested in November last year following a tip-off from a member of the public after viewing a CCTV image released through the media for information.

The court heard that he would pretend to look for directions or lie that he was looking for a friend's unit, and lure the victims to the staircase landing to molest them.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Agnes Chan told the court that he would violate the private parts of the victims under the pretext of asking them to feel his heartbeat or under the guise of fortune-telling by reading their palms.

She had urged District Judge Roy Neighbour to impose a substantial sentence with caning in view of the aggravating factors.

She said Tan was clearly a risk and danger to society and needed to be put off circulation for a long time to safeguard the safety and interests of the public.

 

[leetahbah]

21 strokes of cane. For all the misdeeds, probably well deserved

 

[Fornicator]

21 strokes of cane. For all the misdeeds, probably well deserved

Well deserved indeed, but I thought it he should've been given the max of 24 strokes.

Scums like him doesn't deserve leniency as he preys on on little girls aged 7 - 12!

But I'm ok with 10 years jail and 21 strokes of the cane. Better than nothing.

Cheers.