SINGAPORE: For seven months, a man who worked as a cook at a pre-school would insert his hands into the diapers of three girls, aged one to two, and sexually assault them.
On Oct 27, Teo Guan Huat, 61, was convicted of using criminal force to outrage the modesty of the toddlers from May to November 2023.
Calling it one of the most horrendous acts of sexual abuse committed in a pre-school in Singapore, the prosecution sought 10 years’ jail for Teo.
In admitting to the crimes, Teo said he had erectile dysfunction and had never been in a relationship, and that he “wanted to see and wanted to touch”, the court heard.
Teo also said he committed the acts on children as they could not speak about what he had done to them, and he thought he would not get caught.
The victims and the pre-school cannot be named to protect the children’s identities.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Quek Lu Yi said Teo, who is Malaysian and a Singapore permanent resident, had worked for a year at the pre-school before he resigned in November 2023 when his acts came to light.
Despite Teo being employed as a cook there, he helped escort children for their showers, set up their mattresses and pat them to sleep.
He was not supposed to do so as these were not the duties he had been employed for, said the DPP.
Teo got caught when a school employee watched CCTV footage of Teo putting his hands into the toddlers’ diapers to molest them.
Teo was asked to resign in November 2023.
Despite his acts being made known in November, a police report was made only on Dec 2, 2023. It was not stated in court who made the police report and why there was a delay.
DPP Quek said that from the time his acts were exposed in November to when the police were notified, the CCTV was reformatted such that prior footage would be erased.
It was not stated in court documents who had erased the footage. Investigators managed to recover it, and Teo was arrested on Dec 4, 2023.
Four women have also been charged over their alleged roles in covering up the incident.
The women, aged 48, 58, 61 and 66, cannot be named due to a court-imposed gag order to protect the identities of the victims. In February 2025, each of them was handed one charge of intentionally omitting information on the sexual assault.
In July 2025, the 66-year-old woman was given a stern warning and granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal. This means she cannot be charged again with the same offence.
DPP Claire Poh said the case was one of the most horrendous acts of sexual abuse committed in a pre-school here.
“The victims would hug him when they saw him as they felt close to him, but he abused their trust,” said the prosecutor.
Urging the court to impose a lighter sentence, defence lawyer A. Revi Shanker said his client was very remorseful for what he had done.
The lawyer said: “What he did was wrong. Very, very wrong. I’m not denying that... But the school should take responsibility. Why allow him to assist in taking care of the children if he was not employed to do so?”
The judge adjourned sentencing to Nov 10. - The Straits Times/ANN
