Overview
- State Courts imposed jail terms in two unrelated cases, giving a former primary school teacher 22 months and a male teacher five months for offences involving underage students.
- The woman, who taught the boy math in primary school, kept in touch on WhatsApp, began a romantic relationship when he was 13, later performed sexual acts in a parked car, and pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and causing sexual penetration by a minor.
- Principal District Judge Lee Lit Cheng said the woman was not in a formal role over the teen but held his trust as a former teacher, noting some abuse of trust along with mitigating factors such as a genuine relationship and a low risk of reoffending.
- The man, a biology teacher in 2013, set up a Facebook study group and moved chats to WhatsApp, met the 15-year-old at a park, and exposed himself while the girl undressed on video calls, with the victim later reporting the conduct after media coverage helped her recognize the exploitation.
- MOE said both offenders were suspended and are no longer teaching, gag orders protect identities, and coverage split focus as CNA detailed stalking and judicial reasoning in the woman’s case while The Straits Times highlighted victim impact and the reporting chain in the man’s case.