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SINGAPORE – A high school principal sexually abused seven teenagers on various occasions at his workplace in 2017, a district court heard on Friday (August 28).
The children, who were between the ages of 13 and 15 at the time, were at-risk youth with family problems. They also had a disciplinary record both inside and outside the school.
The school operations manager would often call them to the general office to serve their detention or to advise and inform them of the disciplinary action they faced.
Deputy Prosecutor Mark Yeo said: “Upon noticing a student … the defendant would call him into his room to speak with the student. At times, the defendant would also inform the students’ teachers of his intention to speak with them. and arrange a suitable time for them to meet him in his office under the pretext of discussing their disciplinary matters. “
The man would later abuse the children in his office.
In a previous statement, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said that the man is no longer an employee of the ministry as of January 1, 2018.
The 48-year-old Singaporean pleaded guilty on Friday to three counts of sexual abuse involving three children.
Eight other charges for similar crimes, including those related to the other four children, will be taken into consideration during sentencing.
Both the man and the school cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the children’s identities.
Sometime prior to August 20, 2017, the operations manager was speaking with one of the victims, then 13, about his disciplinary issues when the defendant stepped in and said he would take up the matter.
He then sexually abused the boy after they entered his office.
The DPP said: “(The boy) did not disclose the incident to anyone immediately afterwards. Given his disciplinary problems, he felt that no one would believe him if he revealed what the accused had done to him.”
Using a similar ruse, the man sexually abused a 14-year-old boy in September 2017 and a 13-year-old boy the following month.
In late October of that year, the man sexually abused another 14-year-old boy, who told another victim, a 15-year-old student, about his ordeal.
On October 25, 2017, the two teenagers told the operations manager what happened and the matter was reported to the Ministry of Education.
An official from the Ministry of Education alerted the police on November 6 of that year, the court heard.
In its previous statement, the ministry said it takes staff misconduct seriously.
His spokesman added that the ministry will not hesitate to take disciplinary action against those who fail to meet its standards of conduct and discipline, including dismissal from service.
The former director is now out on $ 15,000 bail and will be sentenced on October 6.
For each count of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14, the offender can be imprisoned for up to five years and fined or punished.
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