Victim traps molester
Teen escapes by promising to meet him later
Source: NP By Genevieve Jiang
THE boy, 17, was trailed and cornered by a prison guard in a quiet
public toilet.
Then he was molested, fondled and kissed by the father of three
who, amazingly, was wearing his Prisons T-shirt.
But instead of panicking, the quick-thinking teen lured his
attacker with the promise of another tryst. Then he trapped him by
calling the police.
Yesterday, prison warden Vasan Kesavan Sadanandan, 46, was
sentenced to nine months' jail after a two-day trial for outraging
the modesty of the teen.
Vasan had been with the Singapore Prisons Service for 19 years and
last worked at the Sembawang Drug Rehabilitation Centre.
The victim, a part-time employee at a convenience store in
Woodlands, told the court on Thursday he had left his workplace to
go to the toilet nearby, at about 2am on May 14. Vasan, who was
outside the store, asked him where he was going.
Suspicious and afraid, the victim walked faster.
He heard Vasan mutter: 'I'm going to follow you'.
In the toilet, the victim entered a cubicle meant for the
handicapped.
Unfortunately, the lock was faulty.
Seconds later, Vasan entered the toilet, looking for him.
He taunted: 'Where are you, boy?'
Vasan then entered the cubicle and grabbed the boy's private
parts.
The boy tried to push him away but Vasan continued to molest
him.
Desperate, the quick-thinking boy told Vasan he would meet him at
the toilet again at 3am.
Vasan tried to kiss his neck before letting him go.
The victim hurried back to the store and, traumatised by the
ordeal, slumped to the floor.
His colleague, Madam Azizah Sapuan, 44, said in court he appeared
pale. When she asked him what happened, the boy revealed he had
been molested.
She said: 'I remembered there was a regular customer named Andy
who's a police officer. So I called Andy to seek his advice.'
Mr Andy Hooi, 23, a former policeman who lives just five minutes
away from the store, arrived about an hour later.
He said the victim asked if he could help him catch his molester,
but Mr Hooi told him the wise thing to do was to make a police
report.
Mr Hooi told the court: 'When we were about to call the police, I
noticed the victim shivering and crying.'
The police arrived soon after, and arrested Vasan, who was
loitering outside the store.
Vasan protested his innocence in court, claiming he had been
sleeping at the time of the incident.
He claimed he had met a colleague for drinks earlier that evening
outside the victim's workplace. After a few drinks, he claimed to
have felt giddy and fallen asleep.
He claimed he was woken up by a police officer at about 3am.
When questioned by Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Keng Seong, Vasan
even claimed the victim had approached him that night for
money.
When he refused, the boy threatened to 'frame me up'.
Vasan alleged the boy was a drug addict and had seen him at the
DRC.
DPP Lim said it was a 'baseless' allegation'.
In mitigation, Vasan said he had been suspended from his job in
June and his pay halved.
He told the court: 'Presently, I'm going through a divorce petition
which is still going on in the family court, and I have been
advised by the court to attend counselling at IMH (Institute of
Mental Health) for my drinking problem...
'I've been under severe stress.'
'YOU WATCH OUT'
VASAN was clearly unrepentant after sentencing yesterday.
Just before he was handcuffed, he stood up in the dock and wagged
his finger threateningly at the victim.
He said: 'You jaga (Malay for watch out.)'
The boy was nervous.
He told The New Paper: 'I'm a bit jittery. After what he said, I'm
not myself.'
His home is a 10-minute walk away from Vasan's flat in
Woodlands.
He said: 'What did I ever do to deserve this? Even after he gets
out of jail, I may still see him around the neighbourhood. I just
have to be extra careful in future.'
