Coach sexually assaulted 14-year-old boy
A badminton coach groomed a 14-year-old student and pressured him to take part in sexual activities, Channel NewsAsia reported on Tuesday (27 Oct).
The 32-year-old coach, who cannot be named to protect the victim’s identity, faced 23 charges for committing an indecent act with a child (7 counts), sexual assault of a minor (15 counts) and possession of obscene films (1 count).
He pleaded guilty in court to 10 charges, with the remaining 13 charges taken into consideration.
The Singaporean man was an assistant coach for his school’s badminton team when the victim joined the team in 2012.
Over the next two years, the two developed a “close relationship”, and the victim saw the accused “not just as a coach, but also as a role model and a mentor”.
On various occasions, the coach sexually assaulted the victim in male toilets in Hougang and Sengkang Sports Hall, and overseas. He also performed sexual acts on the victim in his car at public car parks.
During a patrol on Oct 24, 2014, a police officer spotted the accused’s car in the car park at Venus Drive around midnight with its engine switched on. The accused was found topless with his pants pulled down while the victim was naked.
After both were interviewed separately by the police, the coach was arrested.
He is expected to be sentenced on Nov 17 and is out on bail of S$15,000. For committing an indecent act with a child, he faces up to 5 years’ jail or a fine of up to S$10,000. For sexual assault of a minor, he faces up to 10 years’ jail and a fine.
