A PRISON officer was saved the ignominy of becoming a convict
himself when he was allowed to compound a molestation offence on
Thursday. Mr Selvaraj Karuppiah was alleged to have brushed his
hand against the breast of a 13-year-old student at the Chingay
Parade on Feb 20 last year.
The 51-year-old man settled the matter by apologising to her in
court and paying her $10,000. Under the law, she cannot be
named.
The teen appeared very uncomfortable and held onto her mother's
hand when both came forward to receive the apology from the father
of three grown-up children.
Defence counsel Rajan Supramanian declined to comment on the
reasons why the case was settled without a conviction. Other
lawyers said the prosecution may have decided to allow an offence
to be compounded after carefully considering the nature of the
evidence and the strengths and weaknesses of the case.
Mr Selvaraj, who has served more than 30 years as a prison
officer, is said to hold the rank of staff sergeant. He was at the
Chingay Parade as part of the Yellow Ribbon project to encourage
employers to give ex-convicts a second chance.
-- ST
