Man handcuffed and blindfolded girl for 'photoshoot' in toilet before molesting her
SINGAPORE — Under the guise of conducting a private photoshoot for a girl, a man handcuffed and blindfolded the teenager before molesting her.
Alaric Lim Qixian, a 20-year-old full-time National Serviceman (NSF), provided the props for the photoshoot and had offered to tie the then-13-year-old girl up in a “test run”.
On Monday (28 September), Lim, then an NSF with the Singapore Civil Defence Force, pleaded guilty to committing an indecent act with a child, a breach of the Children and Young Persons Act. He also admitted to two counts of insulting the modesty of a woman by recording upskirt videos of two women. Probation and reformative training reports were called for Lim.
The teen girl, now 15, cannot be named to protect her identity.
Lim came to know her in March last year through a cosplay event. They exchanged Instagram details and began chatting over the platform.
During their conversation, Lim claimed that he was a photographer and offered to do a private shoot for her. He sent her several pictures featuring skimpily dressed women, which he termed “risky”.
The girl refused the offer, but indicated that she would be interested in a private photoshoot involving bondage. She told Lim that there should be no shots of her naked and Lim assured her he would not take such photos. She also said she had no preference for the type of props.
Lim offered to let the victim had a trial run after her school ended on 22 May 2019. He suggested doing this at a handicapped toilet at a relatively isolated area.
On 22 May 2019, the girl met Lim at Plaza Singapura wearing her school attire, a black T-shirt and shorts. They went to a handicapped toilet on the fourth floor of Plaza Singapura where they spent the first 15 minutes playing a mobile phone game.
After the game, Lim produced a black rope which he tied around the girl’s clothing. He then placed a black blindfold over her eyes and handcuffed her hands behind her back with a pair of black leather handcuffs.
He then used the opportunity to molest her above and below her clothing for around 15 minutes. Although she felt shocked and disgusted, the girl did not shout for fear of being harmed. After a while, Lim stopped and removed the bindings on the girl. He asked the girl if she was okay and she nodded.
The girl returned home and took a shower immediately, feeling disgusted by what she had experienced. She told her mother about the incident and lodged a police report the next day after school.
Lim was arrested on 23 May 2019 and his handphone seized. A forensic examination revealed three upskirt videos which he took in January 2018. He recorded these videos at Bukit Panjang MRT while following two women up an escalator.
Lim will return to court on 5 October.
For committing an indecent act with a child, Lim may be jailed up to five years, or fined up to $10,000. For insulting the modesty of any woman, he may be jailed up to one year, or fined, or both.
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