Ex-assistant coach of Albirex Niigata football club jailed 10 days for molesting girl
A former assistant coach of Albirex Niigata Singapore football club was sentenced to 10 days’ jail on Friday (23 March) for molesting a 14-year-old girl.
Takafumi Mizuno, 30, pleaded guilty in the State Courts in February to one count of using criminal force to outrage modesty. A second charge involving the same girl was taken into consideration for sentencing.
According to court documents, the Japanese national first touched the 14-year-old victim’s buttock at a shop in Jurong East at about 5.40pm on 6 July last year.
Less than 20 minutes later, he followed her to a nearby supermarket, where he repeated the act. The girl, who was in a section of the supermarket that was not crowded or narrow, responded by elbowing Mizuno.
She then made a police report at around 8.50pm on the same day.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Raja Mohan called for a jail sentence of two weeks, citing the victim’s young age and the culprit’s persistence in committing the offences.
Defence lawyer Wong Shi Yun argued for a fine of no more than $4,000 for her client, who was a first-time offender.
“It was a fleeting touch of the buttocks and (there was) no violence or use of force,” said Wong. Mizuno will leave Singapore for Japan a day after he is released from jail, according to the lawyer.
Yahoo News Singapore has reached out to Albirex Niigata for comment. At the time of the offences, Mizuno was coaching the S-League club.
For his offence, Mizuno can be jailed up to two years, or with a fine, or with caning, or with any combination of such punishments.
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