https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/r...-sex-acts-against-boy-gets-over-13-years-jail
singapore
PHOTO: AsiaOne file
PUBLISHED ON September 17, 2025 4:06 PM BY Shaffiq Alkhatib
SINGAPORE — A certain religious organisation's council member, whom the prosecution described as "outwardly pious", committed sexual offences against his friend's son when the child was between 11 and 12 years old.
The offender, 66, even recorded a video of himself touching the child's private parts and took more than 40 pictures showing the victim's genitals.
Details about the religious organisation have been redacted from court documents.
Stressing that the man's conduct was "abhorrent", Deputy Public Prosecutor Dhiraj G. Chainani said: "(He was) so strict in his religiosity that he forbade any females from staying the night in his home.
"Yet, behind closed doors, he revealed a markedly different self — a man driven by perverse intent, who consumed child pornography involving young males before turning his predatory attention to a young child who trusted him."
The man, who cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the victim's identity, was sentenced to 13 years and three months' jail on Sept 16.
He had pleaded guilty to one count each of sexually penetrating the boy, molesting the child and producing explicit material showing the victim.
The court heard that at the time of the offences, the man was a board member of the religious organisation.
He first met the victim's father in 2021, and the victim the following year.
When the offender found out that the victim was interested in outdoor and sporting activities, he volunteered to take the child out for these.
On one occasion in March 2022, he volunteered to take the boy out for sporting activities.
He also wanted to teach the child boxing and football, the court heard.
As this was planned to occur over a few days, the man suggested to the victim's father that it would be more convenient if the child stayed over at his home.
DPP Chainani said: "The victim's father agreed. Seeing that the victim's sister was also interested in these outdoor activities, the victim's father suggested to the accused that his daughter also stay over at the accused's home.
"However, the accused turned down this suggestion on the grounds that he was a religious man and could not have a female staying over at his home."
The offender later accompanied the victim for outdoor activities, the court heard.
On June 1, 2023, the man asked the father if he could take the boy to Malaysia for more of such activities.
The father agreed, and the offender picked the child up from his home on June 17.
They stayed at the offender's home, with plans to leave for Malaysia on June 18.
The victim, who was sleeping on a mattress in a guest room, woke up when he felt somebody hugging him from behind.
As there was no one else at home, he knew that the offender was the one hugging him.
The man then pulled down the child's shorts and performed sexual acts on him.
The DPP said that the victim pretended to be asleep as he felt "frozen".
When the man left the room, the child grabbed his mobile phone and told his father about his ordeal in text messages, which he sent shortly before 4.20am on June 18, 2023.
The father, who saw them at around 5am, turned up at the offender's home with a friend about an hour later.
The boy managed to leave the offender's home, and the father asked a nearby security guard to alert the police.
Officers arrested the offender later that day and seized his electronic devices, which were later found to contain child pornography involving boys.
The prosecutor said: "In addition, multiple nude photographs and videos of the victim were found on the accused's phone.
"These photographs and videos were taken by the accused when the victim first stayed over at the accused's home in March 2022."
They were taken without the victim's consent while he was asleep, added the DPP.
The offender later told investigators that he had taken sexually explicit images of the victim due to the pornography he had watched online.
The man also claimed that he was "copying" some of the pornographic videos which he had seen.
singapore
Religious body council member who committed sex acts against boy gets over 13 years' jail
PHOTO: AsiaOne file
PUBLISHED ON September 17, 2025 4:06 PM BY Shaffiq Alkhatib
SINGAPORE — A certain religious organisation's council member, whom the prosecution described as "outwardly pious", committed sexual offences against his friend's son when the child was between 11 and 12 years old.
The offender, 66, even recorded a video of himself touching the child's private parts and took more than 40 pictures showing the victim's genitals.
Details about the religious organisation have been redacted from court documents.
Stressing that the man's conduct was "abhorrent", Deputy Public Prosecutor Dhiraj G. Chainani said: "(He was) so strict in his religiosity that he forbade any females from staying the night in his home.
"Yet, behind closed doors, he revealed a markedly different self — a man driven by perverse intent, who consumed child pornography involving young males before turning his predatory attention to a young child who trusted him."
The man, who cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the victim's identity, was sentenced to 13 years and three months' jail on Sept 16.
He had pleaded guilty to one count each of sexually penetrating the boy, molesting the child and producing explicit material showing the victim.
The court heard that at the time of the offences, the man was a board member of the religious organisation.
He first met the victim's father in 2021, and the victim the following year.
When the offender found out that the victim was interested in outdoor and sporting activities, he volunteered to take the child out for these.
On one occasion in March 2022, he volunteered to take the boy out for sporting activities.
He also wanted to teach the child boxing and football, the court heard.
As this was planned to occur over a few days, the man suggested to the victim's father that it would be more convenient if the child stayed over at his home.
DPP Chainani said: "The victim's father agreed. Seeing that the victim's sister was also interested in these outdoor activities, the victim's father suggested to the accused that his daughter also stay over at the accused's home.
"However, the accused turned down this suggestion on the grounds that he was a religious man and could not have a female staying over at his home."
The offender later accompanied the victim for outdoor activities, the court heard.
On June 1, 2023, the man asked the father if he could take the boy to Malaysia for more of such activities.
The father agreed, and the offender picked the child up from his home on June 17.
They stayed at the offender's home, with plans to leave for Malaysia on June 18.
The victim, who was sleeping on a mattress in a guest room, woke up when he felt somebody hugging him from behind.
As there was no one else at home, he knew that the offender was the one hugging him.
The man then pulled down the child's shorts and performed sexual acts on him.
The DPP said that the victim pretended to be asleep as he felt "frozen".
When the man left the room, the child grabbed his mobile phone and told his father about his ordeal in text messages, which he sent shortly before 4.20am on June 18, 2023.
The father, who saw them at around 5am, turned up at the offender's home with a friend about an hour later.
The boy managed to leave the offender's home, and the father asked a nearby security guard to alert the police.
Officers arrested the offender later that day and seized his electronic devices, which were later found to contain child pornography involving boys.
The prosecutor said: "In addition, multiple nude photographs and videos of the victim were found on the accused's phone.
"These photographs and videos were taken by the accused when the victim first stayed over at the accused's home in March 2022."
They were taken without the victim's consent while he was asleep, added the DPP.
The offender later told investigators that he had taken sexually explicit images of the victim due to the pornography he had watched online.
The man also claimed that he was "copying" some of the pornographic videos which he had seen.
