By June Cheong

Children are inherently innocent, psychiatrists and psychologists believe.

However, when do children become aware that certain of their actions are deviant or even evil?

'Children are born innocent. Their experiences, environment and society will shape the way they interpret and understand their surroundings and what they think is right or wrong,' said

Ms Silvia Fontanella, a psychologist at VA Psychology Centre.

Because of this strongly accepted belief in the inherent innocence of children, the recent case of a nine-year-old boy described as 'fixated on sex' caught the media and the public's attention.

Two weeks ago, The Straits Times reported the court case of a 37-year-old tutor convicted of allowing the boy to perform oral sex on him on five occasions.

The boy was described in court as 'hyper-sexualised'.

He is not alone in exhibiting behaviour that society would normally not associate with children. In a famous 1993 case, two-year-old toddler Jamie Bulger was found to have been abducted and murdered by two 10-year-old boys in northern England.

Last year in Singapore, 1,892 children between the ages of seven and 15 were arrested for criminal acts ranging from theft to rioting.

People are often shocked to read or learn about children committing crimes. Referring to this, Ms Geraldine Tan, a child psychologist at the Centre for Effective Living, said: 'That is because it is not pleasant to read about it.

'Every such report is a learning point for society, teachers and parents that something went wrong and that something needs to be done.'

>> Next Page: Newborn to 3 years old