Man who molested young girls jailed 17 months

SINGAPORE - A man who molested three female students in separate incidents was jailed a total of 17 months on Friday for the offences and for glue-sniffing.

Xiao Junhui, 28, who is jobless, pleaded guilty to two of three outrage of modesty charges and one under the Intoxicating Substances Act.

For the first molestation offence, Deputy Public Prosecutor Zhong Zewei said a 16-year-old student had alighted from her father's van at a bus stop in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 and walked to a nearby void deck on the morning of Aug 21. She sat on a bench to wait for a friend who was to walk with her to school.

While she was waiting, Xiao approached her and touched her breast from behind. He then walked away.

Just 10 minutes later, Xiao was crossing the road when he molested an 11-year-old primary school pupil walking past him in the opposite direction, also by touching her breast with his hand.

He was arrested at Block 465 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 the next day in a police ambush, smelling strongly of glue.

A plastic bag containing a yellow substance believed to be glue was seized from him.

A blood sample taken from him was analysed and found to contain 12 micrograms of the intoxicating substance per millilitre of blood. Xiao admitted to the police that he had earlier sniffed glue to help him sleep. Pleading for leniency, Xiao's lawyer said the accused was unable to get a permanent job due to a rare nerve disorder. He also has numbness in his lower and upper limbs.

Xiao could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, caned or given any combined sentence for molesting the teenage girl, and jailed for up to five years, fined, caned or given any combined sentence for molesting the younger girl.

For the glue-sniffing offence, the maximum penalty is a $2,000 fine and six months' jail.

elena@sph.com.sg

Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.