Singapore Armed Forces regular, 50, pleads guilty over sex act with student, 15

Subramaniam Thaburan Rangasamy, a first warrant officer, had been suspended from all duties following his arrest. - ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

SINGAPORE: A Singapore Armed Forces regular, who tried to have sex with a 15-year-old girl he had earlier helped after she had a fall, pleaded guilty on Jan 9 to one charge of penetrating a minor below 16.

Two other charges will be taken into consideration during Subramaniam Thaburan Rangasamy’s sentencing scheduled for Feb 1. There is a gag order on the identity of the girl, who is now 17.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sunil Nair said the incident happened on Dec 6, 2021, during the school holidays. The victim, who was supposed to have an online meeting with her school counsellor at 11am, walked to a multi-storey carpark for some privacy as there were other people at home.

At the fourth floor of the carpark, the Secondary 3 student walked past Subramaniam, 50, who was waiting to leave for work on his motorcycle.

About an hour later, the girl walked down from the fifth floor of the carpark when she fell and hit a door. Hearing the noise, Subramaniam helped her to her feet.

The victim thanked him and returned home, while he went back to his motorcycle. Grateful for his help, she returned with a can of chrysanthemum tea.

They then sat at the fourth-floor staircase of the carpark and chatted, but about an hour later, Subramaniam and the girl became intimate. The girl then performed a sex act on him.

Subramaniam also tried to have sex with her, but failed. They later dressed up and parted ways, but not before exchanging numbers.

The court heard that they remained in contact via WhatsApp, but the messages were not of a sexual nature. On Dec 8, 2021, two days after the incident, the victim made a police report because she felt that Subramaniam had taken advantage of her.

The prosecutor noted that the accused was not at any time misled by the victim’s age, and added that he did not force or coerce the victim to be intimate.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, a Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said Subramaniam, a first warrant officer, was suspended from all duties following his arrest. “The SAF will initiate further actions upon the conclusion of court hearings, which may include discharging him from service,” she added.

She said the SAF holds its servicemen to high standards of discipline and integrity, and that those who commit offences will be dealt with in accordance with the law.

For penetrating a minor below 16, Subramaniam could be jailed for up to 10 years, fined or both. - The Straits Times/ANN