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Male piano teacher admits to molesting 5-year-old girl during lesson

For molesting a person under the age of 14, the man faces a jail term of up to five years, along with a possible fine or caning.
The teacher had stuck his hand into the victim’s underwear on the pretence of correcting her sitting posture. (PHOTO: Getty Images)

SINGAPORE — A male part-time piano teacher who molested his five-year-old pupil pleaded guilty to his actions at the High Court on Tuesday (23 April).

The man had been giving the victim a lesson at a studio in November 2016, and had stuck his hand into her underwear on the pretence of correcting her sitting posture. Now aged 21, he pleaded guilty one count of outraging the modesty of a minor. His sentencing will be carried out at a later date.

The accused and victim, who is now seven years old, cannot be named to protect the latter’s identity.

Abused in piano studio

According to court documents, the man began giving piano lessons through the studio in June 2016. The accused had seven students, aged five to 15, whom he would teach either at the studio or at their homes.

The victim, who had been taking lessons at the studio since she was four years old, was later assigned to the accused after he last teacher left. She was usually left alone with the man at the studio during lessons, which lasted from 6pm to 6.30pm on Mondays.

On 7 November that year, the girl’s mother brought her to the studio for her usual piano lesson. The accused and the girl were then left alone in one of the studio’s small rooms.

At some point in the lesson, the man asked the girl to sit properly and told her that he needed to correct her posture. He then slipped his hand into her underwear and began touching her private parts.

He told her to squeeze her thighs together tightly and told her to “remember this”, said the prosecution. The girl obeyed.

The man then scratched the girl on her private parts, causing her pain. She asked the man to stop and the latter apologised but did not remove his hand.

He continued scratching the area about three more times. The girl was not aware at the time that she was being molested.

Crying from pain

After the lesson ended, the girl and the teacher both met the girl’s grandfather who was waiting for her. The girl did not tell her grandfather what had happened as she did not think there was anything wrong.

While the girl was washing up at home, her mother felt that she was taking an usually long time and went to check on her. She found the girl crying from pain as she was trying to urinate. The girl then revealed the incident to her mother.

The girl’s father called the studio owner and the police. The studio owner called the accused’s father, who later brought him to the studio, where he was arrested.

The girl was examined by a doctor on the same night and was found with scratch marks and abrasions on her private parts.

For a few days after the incident, the girl complained of pain and asked her mother if the area would always hurt, said the prosecution.

She also used to play on the piano on her own but has since stopped. The girl also told a counsellor that she wet her bed several times since the offence.

For molesting a person under the age of 14, the man faces a jail term of up to five years, along with a possible fine or caning.

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