A COMMUNITY Court judge has ordered a teen who committed six
sexual offences against three mildly-retarded boys to be
accompanied by his parents when he is in contact with
intellectually challenged males.
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named to protect the victims'
identities, was given a chance on Friday when he was placed on 36
months' probation.
He has to undergo 120 hours of community service, attend a
treatment programme, and was bonded for $5,000 to ensure his good
behaviour.
Community Court judge Ng Peng Hong heard on Friday that the
teen, who has an IQ level of 84 which puts him at a low average
range of intelligence, has a moderate risk of committing similar
offences.
Assistant Public Prosecutor N.K. Anitha pointed out that the
accused was likely to engage in a significant amount of sexual
grooming behaviour once he has identified a potential victim.
The psychologist recommended that he should not have
unsupervised contact with those around his age or older males,
especially those who are intellectually challenged.
The teen had earlier admitted to two counts of anal sex with two
15-year-old schoolmates in March and November 2008. He was then
14.
The court heard that he started thinking of being intimate with
male persons in 2007 after surfing pornographic websites featuring
homosexuality. Over a period of eight months in 2008, he took three
victims, including a classmate, to carparks in Bukit Panjang for
homosexual acts.
He was found out last year when one of the victims informed his
mother that the accused had threatened him. The school was informed
and a staff member called the police.
The accused could have been jailed for up to 10 years and/or
fined on each charge.
-- ST