[h=2]Three reports before police arrested sick tutor[/h]
September 24th, 2012 |
Author: Editorial
It took not one, not two, but three reports before a male tutor was arrested by the police for allegedly molesting his male pupils.
On 29th Sept 2009, a 10-year-old boy made a report at Ang Mo Kio Neighbourhood Police Centre, alleging that his tutor had molested him two years ago.
However, the tutor, Loh Hua Long continued to teach at the tuition centre operated by a Residents’ Committee in the northern part of Singapore. It has since been shut down.
This allowed the 51-year-old to continue his sexual abuse of young boys, some as young as eight-years-old. On 5th Nov the same year, another boy reported to the police that Loh had molested him.
It was only after the thrid police report made by another young boy four days later that Loh was finally arrested by the police.
Before his arrest, Loh had been teaching English, Maths and Science at the tuition centre for close to 20 years. He had more than 30 pupils in 2009.
Loh, a tutor of 25 years of experience, was finally sentenced to 15 years’ jail on last friday (21st sept) after he admitted to five charges of sexually abusing underage boys. A total of 29 other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
His acts of sexual abuse against the seven boys involved him performing fellatio on them at the tuition centre. He also took videos and photos of their naked bodies and his indecent acts.
The High Court heard that when Loh was arrested at his home, the police found video recordings in his mobile phone of him sexually abusing his victims.
During his psychiatric examination (after his arrest), Loh claimed that he was instructed by a ghost to commit the sexual abuse, even though he knew that it was wrong to do so.
Asking the court for “a deterrent sentence in full weight”, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Sabrina Choo urged Justice Woo Bih Li to take into consideration the tender age of Loh’s victims and his repeated abuse of them over a period of three years.
DPP Choo highlighted that Loh had exercised volitional choice in committing the sexual offences.
Though he had heard a ghost’s voice instructing him to do so, he was able to refrain from doing other acts like touching girls’ buttocks and throwing stones at people.
Loh was entrusted with the running of the tuition centre and the care of the pupils, whom he had cunningly abused by treating his young victims as his personal sex toys.
One of the victim had told a psychiatrist that he felt gay and different from other students after Loh’s sexual abuse. The minor complied with Loh’s requests as he feared Loh, who had taken photos of what they did.
The long-term emotional and psychological scars suffered by his victims are also not to be discounted, DPP Choo said.
Mitigating for Loh, Mr Anand Nalachandran and Mr Josephus Tan argued that Loh is not a paedophile and was a first-time offender.
At 51, he is not somebody who would be in a position to commit such offences after serving his sentences, Mr Anand told the court.
His lawyers’ also noted that Loh had cooperated fully with the police by confessing to more offences involving other victims and led police to his mobile phone at home, which contained the videos and photos of the victims.
Durong sentencing, Justice Woo noted that Loh had told a psychiatrist that he was instructed by a ghost to commit the offences, but he did not follow other instructions from the ghost to touch girls’ buttocks or to throw stones at people.
There was also no suggestion that the ghost had told Loh to take videos of his victims.
“It seems to me that you have to take the primary responsibility of your conduct,” said Justice Woo.
Responding to media queries on why the long wait before Loh was investigated/arrested, the police told the media on Friday (21st Sept) that investigations had started immediately against Loh after they received a report on 29th Sept 2009.
The police spokesman said:
Sometime at the end of 2008, Loh had asked one of his pupils to remain behind after the tuition class.After the other pupils left the classroom, Loh locked the door and told the 11-year-old boy to remove his clothes and lie on the floor. The boy complied.
Loh then removed his clothes and kissed his victim all over.
After that, from time to time, Loh would ask the boy to stay behind after class. Loh eventually performed oral sex on the boy.
Loh had taught the boy for more than five years before he committed the indecent acts on him.
Even after the boy completed his primary education and stopped attending the tuition classes, the abuse continued at Loh’s request.
Sometime in October 2009, the former pupil, dressed in his school uniform, returned to the tuition centre.
It was about 2.45pm and Loh was alone. As usual, Loh locked the door and proceeded to undress himself.
The boy stripped naked and Loh performed fellatio and took videos and photos of him. The ordeal lasted about 45 minutes.
Sometime in September or October that year, Loh asked one of his pupils to arrive at the tuition centre 45 minutes before his class.
Loh was alone in the centre when the boy showed up. He locked the door and blindfolded his victim before he undressed and abused him.
When he was done abusing the boy, Loh told him to get dressed and unlock the door so that the other pupils could enter the centre.
It took not one, not two, but three reports before a male tutor was arrested by the police for allegedly molesting his male pupils.
On 29th Sept 2009, a 10-year-old boy made a report at Ang Mo Kio Neighbourhood Police Centre, alleging that his tutor had molested him two years ago.
However, the tutor, Loh Hua Long continued to teach at the tuition centre operated by a Residents’ Committee in the northern part of Singapore. It has since been shut down.
This allowed the 51-year-old to continue his sexual abuse of young boys, some as young as eight-years-old. On 5th Nov the same year, another boy reported to the police that Loh had molested him.
It was only after the thrid police report made by another young boy four days later that Loh was finally arrested by the police.
Before his arrest, Loh had been teaching English, Maths and Science at the tuition centre for close to 20 years. He had more than 30 pupils in 2009.
Loh, a tutor of 25 years of experience, was finally sentenced to 15 years’ jail on last friday (21st sept) after he admitted to five charges of sexually abusing underage boys. A total of 29 other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
His acts of sexual abuse against the seven boys involved him performing fellatio on them at the tuition centre. He also took videos and photos of their naked bodies and his indecent acts.
The High Court heard that when Loh was arrested at his home, the police found video recordings in his mobile phone of him sexually abusing his victims.
During his psychiatric examination (after his arrest), Loh claimed that he was instructed by a ghost to commit the sexual abuse, even though he knew that it was wrong to do so.
Asking the court for “a deterrent sentence in full weight”, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Sabrina Choo urged Justice Woo Bih Li to take into consideration the tender age of Loh’s victims and his repeated abuse of them over a period of three years.
DPP Choo highlighted that Loh had exercised volitional choice in committing the sexual offences.
Though he had heard a ghost’s voice instructing him to do so, he was able to refrain from doing other acts like touching girls’ buttocks and throwing stones at people.
Loh was entrusted with the running of the tuition centre and the care of the pupils, whom he had cunningly abused by treating his young victims as his personal sex toys.
One of the victim had told a psychiatrist that he felt gay and different from other students after Loh’s sexual abuse. The minor complied with Loh’s requests as he feared Loh, who had taken photos of what they did.
The long-term emotional and psychological scars suffered by his victims are also not to be discounted, DPP Choo said.
Mitigating for Loh, Mr Anand Nalachandran and Mr Josephus Tan argued that Loh is not a paedophile and was a first-time offender.
At 51, he is not somebody who would be in a position to commit such offences after serving his sentences, Mr Anand told the court.
His lawyers’ also noted that Loh had cooperated fully with the police by confessing to more offences involving other victims and led police to his mobile phone at home, which contained the videos and photos of the victims.
Durong sentencing, Justice Woo noted that Loh had told a psychiatrist that he was instructed by a ghost to commit the offences, but he did not follow other instructions from the ghost to touch girls’ buttocks or to throw stones at people.
There was also no suggestion that the ghost had told Loh to take videos of his victims.
“It seems to me that you have to take the primary responsibility of your conduct,” said Justice Woo.
Responding to media queries on why the long wait before Loh was investigated/arrested, the police told the media on Friday (21st Sept) that investigations had started immediately against Loh after they received a report on 29th Sept 2009.
The police spokesman said:
Each case is different and the time taken to investigate each individual case varies with the complexity of the case.
The powers of arrest are exercised when a prima facie case is made out against a defendant. An arrest does not automatically follow a reported offence as further investigations may need to be carried out before sufficient facts are established.
Indecent Acts (Source: The New Paper)The powers of arrest are exercised when a prima facie case is made out against a defendant. An arrest does not automatically follow a reported offence as further investigations may need to be carried out before sufficient facts are established.
Sometime at the end of 2008, Loh had asked one of his pupils to remain behind after the tuition class.After the other pupils left the classroom, Loh locked the door and told the 11-year-old boy to remove his clothes and lie on the floor. The boy complied.
Loh then removed his clothes and kissed his victim all over.
After that, from time to time, Loh would ask the boy to stay behind after class. Loh eventually performed oral sex on the boy.
Loh had taught the boy for more than five years before he committed the indecent acts on him.
Even after the boy completed his primary education and stopped attending the tuition classes, the abuse continued at Loh’s request.
Sometime in October 2009, the former pupil, dressed in his school uniform, returned to the tuition centre.
It was about 2.45pm and Loh was alone. As usual, Loh locked the door and proceeded to undress himself.
The boy stripped naked and Loh performed fellatio and took videos and photos of him. The ordeal lasted about 45 minutes.
Sometime in September or October that year, Loh asked one of his pupils to arrive at the tuition centre 45 minutes before his class.
Loh was alone in the centre when the boy showed up. He locked the door and blindfolded his victim before he undressed and abused him.
When he was done abusing the boy, Loh told him to get dressed and unlock the door so that the other pupils could enter the centre.
