Former teacher jailed for sexually abusing secondary school student

SINGAPORE: A former teacher who sexually exploited his underage student, abusing her in his bedroom during “remedial lessons”, was sentenced on Thursday (Mar 19) to three years and seven months’ jail.

The 33-year-old man and the school cannot be named due to gag orders protecting the victim’s identity.

The man had taught the girl since she was in Secondary 1 in 2017, developing a relationship with her after exchanging texts and leaving her gifts in his pigeon hole at school.

He briefly stopped contact with the 14-year-old girl in September 2018 as he felt guilty towards his pregnant wife, but resumed texting her several months later, when the teen ran away from home.

The messages took on a sexual tone after this, with the pair exchanging obscene photos at the teacher’s initiative.

On Valentine’s Day last year, the teacher contacted the victim’s mother, offering to pick the girl up and take her to school for an exam and home afterwards.

She agreed, and the teacher picked the girl up after school and took her to his flat where they engaged in sexual acts.

He also conspired with the girl to lie to her mother that she had to attend “remedial classes” during the March school holidays.

He then drove her to his flat during “remedial lessons” and sexually abused her in his bedroom.

The victim’s father discovered the offences in April 2019 after finding out that his daughter’s phone was a gift from the teacher.

He informed the school and the principal made a police report.

The man pleaded guilty last month to two counts of sexual penetration of a minor and a third charge of sexual exploitation of a child.

Another four charges were taken into consideration.

The Ministry of Education told CNA last month that the teacher had stopped working for them in April 2019.

“Teachers should conduct themselves in a manner which upholds the integrity of the profession and the trust placed in them,” the spokesman said.

“MOE takes a serious view of staff misconduct and will not hesitate to take disciplinary action against those who fail to adhere to our standards of conduct and discipline, including dismissal from service.”

For each charge of sexual penetration of a minor, the teacher could have been jailed for up to 10 years, fined, or both.