A 61-year-old male kindergarten chef in Singapore molested three young girls, believing that since the children couldn't speak, his crimes would go unnoticed. However, staff discovered his offenses while reviewing surveillance footage, and on the morning of the 10th, he was sentenced to nine years, four months, and seven weeks in prison.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the accused, Teo Kuan Fat (61), a Malaysian national, was working as a chef at a local kindergarten when he committed the crimes. He faced a total of eight charges of molestation, admitted to three, and the remaining charges were taken into consideration by the judge during sentencing.
Court revelations showed the accused had worked at the kindergarten for about a year, resigning on November 23, 2023. In addition to kitchen duties, he also helped take children to bathe, set up mattresses in the rest area, and looked after them during naptime from 1pm to 3pm, such as gently patting them to sleep.
The prosecution pointed out that the three victims were girls aged between 1 and 2, who were close to the accused and would often approach him for hugs. However, he abused this trust and committed these acts multiple times over a seven-month period. Because the victims were so young, they were unable to disclose his crimes.
Between May and November 16, 2023, the accused molested the three girls multiple times in the kindergarten, committing offenses nearly two to three times per week.
Accused: Never Had Sexual Relations with Adult Women
The accused claimed to be single and suffering from erectile dysfunction, and had never had sexual relations with adult women, which led him to want to touch female private parts. He also said he targeted children because they could not speak and therefore his crimes would not be uncovered.
On the afternoon of November 9, 2023, one of the two-year-old girls was molested by the accused during naptime.
A week later (November 16), a kindergarten staff member, while checking surveillance footage for other reasons, accidentally caught the accused putting his hand into a girl's diaper. The school immediately confronted the accused and demanded his resignation.
As the accused is over 50 years old and cannot be caned, the judge ruled that he serve an additional nine months in prison in lieu of caning.
The judge called the accused's actions appalling, noting his severe sexual exploitation of the girls, including skin contact with their private parts, and his persistent and prolonged offending, sentencing him to eight years, seven months, and seven weeks in prison.
Because the accused is over 50 and cannot be caned, the judge sentenced him to an additional nine months in prison in place of caning. The total sentence is nine years, four months, and seven weeks in prison.