55-year-old repeat offender jailed 15 months for molesting two maids
A 55-year-old man who targeted two domestic helpers and molested them both within 10 minutes of one another was handed a 15-month jail term at the State Courts on Tuesday (24 April).
Tan Yew Song pleaded guilty to three counts of outraging the modesty of the two Indonesian maids last July.
Tan, who is a repeat offender with past convictions dating back to 1983, also had one count of criminal force – involving the use of a twig to tap one of the victim’s hands – taken into consideration for sentencing. The two maids, aged 32 and 37, cannot be named to protect their identity.
The court heard that at about 2pm on 21 July last year, one of the maids met the other at the multi-purpose hall beside their block. The first maid brought along two children while the other brought her wheelchair-bound female employer.
The two maids were chatting when Tan approached the pair and began talking to them. Neither of the maids understood what he was saying.
Shortly after, Tan placed both his arms on the waist of one of the maids and started rubbing her, causing her to shout at him. He walked away but soon returned and smacked the other maid on her right buttock.
Tan then walked away again and returned 10 minutes later, whereupon he squeezed the left breast of the maid whose buttock he had hit earlier.
The other maid scolded Tan and told him that she would call the police. When officers arrived at the scene, Tan tried to flee but was arrested.
Investigations showed that Tan usually hung out around the block and disturbed the people there.
The prosecution sought a jail term of at least 17 months for Tan, who was described as a “recalcitrant offender”. It also asked for an additional six weeks in lieu of three strokes of the cane for Tan, who cannot be caned as he is above age of 50.
Tan was previously convicted for outrage of modesty in 1983, 1988, 1992, 1998, 2001, 2015 and 2016.
For using criminal force to outrage a person’s modesty, Tan could have been jailed up to three month’s, fined $1,500, or both.
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