SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): A 64-year-old man stole from a 60-year-old with cerebral palsy after molesting him in a toilet at a mall in January.
Tan Kim Chye was sentenced to a year in jail on Feb 13 after he pleaded guilty to one count each of molestation and theft.
The victim, who has difficulty walking, hearing and speaking, cannot be named due to a gag order to protect his identity.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Norman Yew said the victim went to the restroom at Raffles City shopping centre at around 3pm on Jan 21, with Tan entering about a minute later.
While the victim was at a urinal, Tan approached from behind and molested him. After recovering from his shock, the victim pushed Tan’s hands away and went to the sink to wash up.
DPP Yew said the victim did not shout for help as he believed the toilet was empty at the time.
While the victim was at the sink, Tan went up to him and pulled down the victim’s pants.
Tan then took the man’s wallet from his pocket and said there was a lot of money inside. He left the toilet quickly with the wallet, which contained $125 in cash and other items.
Closed-circuit television footage, which was played in court, shows Tan, wearing a black hat, walking briskly out of the basement toilet.
The victim, who is still buttoning his pants, follows Tan out shortly after.
The police were notified and they arrested Tan the next day.
He later told investigators that he “knew the victim was not normal” and had difficulty talking. Tan also admitted to spending all the money in the wallet before discarding it.
Tan, who was not represented by a lawyer, appeared in court via video link. He told the court that he committed the offences as he was lonely.
He said he has been living alone since 2018 after his mother died from cancer.
Tan added: “My last conviction was in 2015. It has been a long time since I last broke the law. For the last decade or so, I have just been doing part-time work.”
The court heard that Tan had committed various offences, including criminal breach of trust, theft and cheating, between 1997 and 2015.
For molestation, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined, caned or receive any combination of such punishments. Tan cannot be caned as he is over 50 years old. - The Straits Times/ANN
