SINGAPORE: A deaf and mute man, who sodomised a
12-year-old boy at a staircase landing, has been sentenced to 10
years in jail.
But 47-year-old Juma'at Tahir was spared the cane
because of his mental disability.
The unemployed man was found guilty on Friday of two
counts of sexual offences, and three counts of theft.
Seven other charges, including theft and possessing obscene films
were taken into consideration.
In 2009, Juma'at approached the boy and signalled him to follow him
to the upper floors of a block in Geylang Bahru.
The boy, who was playing a game on his Sony PSP at that time,
followed Juma'at up unsuspectingly.
When they reached the staircase landing, Juma'at told the boy to
turn around and face the metal railing of the staircase.
While the boy was playing a handheld game, Juma'at grabbed the
boy's shorts and underwear from behind.
The boy struggled to move away but Juma'at restrained him and
forced unprotected sex onto the boy.
On another occasion in 2011, Juma'at sexually assaulted a
nine-year-old boy inside a lift. Juma'at grabbed the boy's hand and
placed it on his groin.
Investigations revealed that Juma'at also stole three bicycles at
HDB blocks, worth between $130 and $460. Along with his older
brother who has been sentenced previously, Juma'at used a cutter to
cut the chains securing bicycles.
While noting Juma'at's "mild intellectual disability, District
Judge Roy Neighbour pointed out that it did not exclude him for
being culpable for his actions as he "displayed predatory behaviour
especially with regard to little boys."
The judge also highlighted that the "long term psychological harm
to the victims cannot be dismissed."
- CNA/de