School counsellor who molested 3 sec school boys gets nearly three years' jail

A secondary school counsellor who deals with troubled youth molested three teenage boys between 2011 and 2013.

According to The Straits Times, the 50-year-old man started working at the secondary school located in the South-Eastern part of Singapore in 2009. 

"The accused was a dedicated counsellor who was highly committed to his counselling job at (the school).", said Deputy Public Prosecutors Charlene Tay Chia and Yvonne Poon. 

"He earned the trust and liking of the school community and the students as he was dedicated to his job and genuinely cared about the welfare of the student body."

Two of his victims were first referred to him in Secondary One in 2010.

He counselled them until 2013.

The third victim was a friend of one of the other victims who would occasionally accompany his friend to counselling sessions with the man.

The man started molesting one of the boys in 2011, when he asked him a sexual related question and pulled down the boy's shorts.

In 2012, he touched the boy's private parts and on another occasion, attempted to touch them.

One month after Sep 2013, he molested his second victim.

"The accused was able to get away with his acts for multiple years because of the trust reposed in him by the students and staff of (the school)", added the Public Prosecutors.

"The victims felt too ashamed to come forward, or were of the view that they would not be believed.

"Staff did not suspect that anything amiss was ongoing."

The counsellor was subsequently reported to the authorities after two of the boys realised that they had been molested by him. 

The 50-year-old was sentenced to two years, eight months and 12 weeks in jail on Friday (Aug 31) after District Judge Tan Jen Tse found him guilty of attempted outrage of modesty and four counts of molestation.

He was acquitted of three similar charges.

Defence Lawyer Ms Melanie Ho has stated that the man will be appealing against his sentence and conviction on Friday (Aug 31).

For each count of molestation, offenders can be jailed for up to two years and fined or caned.

The man cannot be caned as he is 50 years old.

A Ministry of Education spokesman said on Friday night that the ministry will be taking further disciplinary action against the man, who has been suspended from duty since November 2013.

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