SINGAPORE: Eight men will be charged in court on Thursday (July 18) for their alleged involvement in cases of molestation.
The men, aged between 25 and 82, acted separately between Sept 2, 2023, and June 7, the police said on July 17. Victims in these cases include two boys aged 15 and 16.
The oldest of the suspects, an 82-year-old man, is said to have molested a 35-year-old woman in a shop in Clementi West Street 2 on June 7. He faces one count of outrage of modesty.
On May 9, a 63-year-old man purportedly molested a 16-year-old boy in a toilet in Tiong Bahru Road. The man was arrested at the scene by police officers who attended to the incident. He will be charged with one count of outrage of modesty.
On May 5, a man, 30, allegedly molested a 35-year-old woman at a shop in Orchard Road. He was arrested at the scene, and he will be charged with one count of outrage of modesty.
On May 1, a 30-year-old man is said to have struck twice, molesting two women, aged 25 and 43, in the waters near a beach at Sentosa. He will be charged with two counts of outrage of modesty.
Earlier this year, on Feb 6, a 63-year-old man allegedly molested a 16-year-old girl at a shopping centre in Sengkang Square. The police arrested him at the scene of the incident. He will be charged with one count of outrage of modesty.
On Jan 5, a man, 34, allegedly molested a 29-year-old woman in a building in Hougang Street. He will be charged with one count of outrage of modesty.
On Dec 15, 2023, a 44-year-old man purportedly molested a 15-year-old boy. The man will be charged with one count of outrage of modesty.
On Sept 2, 2023, a 25-year-old man is said to have molested a woman, 24, in the vicinity of Clarke Quay. He also allegedly recorded voyeuristic videos and took photos of the woman. The man will be charged with three counts of outrage of modesty and one count of voyeurism.
If found guilty of outrage of modesty, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined, caned, or any combination of the three.
The police said they will continue to work closely with public entertainment outlets and the community to prevent and deter molestation cases. Members of the public are urged to remain vigilant and report any incidents of molestation to the police immediately.
The 2023 Annual Crime Brief from the police mentioned outrage of modesty and voyeurism as crimes of concern for the year.
Although cases of outrage of modesty fell to 1,528 in 2023 from 1,610 in 2022, it accounted for 7.7 per cent of all physical crime cases in 2023.
Meanwhile, voyeurism cases increased by 52 to reach 476 in 2023, up from 424 cases in the previous year. Such cases accounted for 2.4 per cent of all physical crimes in 2023. - The Straits Times/ANN
