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A secondary school counsellor in Singapore was jailed last Friday (31 August) for molesting three teenage students between 2011 and 2013.
He was sentenced to two years, eight months and 12 weeks in jail after he was found guilty of attempted "outrage of modesty" and four counts of molestation.
The counsellor has been suspended from his duties since November 2013.
In addition, the Ministry of Education said it would be taking further disciplinary action against him.
The man was the students’ counsellor from 2010 to 2013. Two were referred for counselling when they were in secondary 1. The third victim was a friend who accompanied one of the boys to his sessions.
The court heard that the man started molesting one of them in 2011, after asking the teenager sex-related questions. There were several other incidents the following year.
The second victim reported an incident in September 2013, which was a month after his friend was sexually harassed.
The prosecutors had sought a jail term of three years and seven months, emphasising that all three were vulnerable victims.
“The accused…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,” the prosecutors said.
However, they added the man had “grossly abused that trust”, reported the Straits Times.
The man will be appealing against his conviction and sentence and has been offered bail of $20,000.
MoE said it would continue to work closely with schools to maintain vigilance and safeguard the well-being of all students.
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