By Elysa Chan

IT WAS a shocker of a case - a boy was caught trying to have sex with his younger sister.

But that was not the worst of it.

He was only 6. His sister, 2.

This is just one of the dozens of cases that psychiatrists and counsellors have seen over the years where very young children have engaged in sexual behaviour.

In the latest case, which was heard in court on Wednesday, a 9-year-old boy was revealed to have initiated oral sex several times with his male tuition teacher.

A psychiatric report tendered in court stated that the boy exhibited hyper-sexualised behaviour.

Such behaviour, said child and adolescent psychiatrist Brian Yeo, is inappropriate sexual behaviour that the child perceives as normal.

These children have difficulty controlling their sexual urges, and may watch excessive pornography, masturbate and possess increased sexual knowledge, he added.

Those who display hyper-sexualised behaviour also have a higher sex drive, which may spin out of control, said clinical psychologist Danny Ng.

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