<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Female predator
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Adult-minor trysts where the adult is a woman are rare in Singapore, say experts </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Shuli Sudderuddin
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->A recent report here of a 32-year-old woman charged with having sex with a 15-year-old minor, her former student, made many sit up.
It is believed to be the first case here of an alleged adult-minor tryst in which the adult is a woman. The case will be heard on Nov 7.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>'The thrill in a school setting is not just a sexual one. There is an element of control for the teacher in terms of grades and attendance, and for the student, it is often a fantasy.'
DR BRIAN YEO, a consultant psychiatrist
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>But one psychiatrist, when contacted by The Sunday Times, spoke of an almost similar tryst, except that the teenager, also a former student, was older and already doing national service at the time.
The woman, a former secondary school teacher in her 30s, had gone to see Dr Adrian Wang, a consultant psychiatrist at Gleneagles Medical Centre, seeking treatment for depression.
She told him she had felt lonely and was feeling vulnerable when she became intimate with her ex-student.
Such cases are less uncommon in the United States. Back in the 1990s, for instance, former teacher Mary Kay Letourneau was jailed for raping her former sixth-grade student. The couple had two daughters and in 2005, she married him. She was 43 and he was 22.
Psychiatrists and counsellors here said that such liaisons are rare though they do occur. Mr Sam Kuna, executive director of Teen Challenge, which addresses teen issues and family crises, said teenagers may develop an infatuation for people in authority whom they admire.
'However, this usually does not approach intimacy as the adult draws the boundaries,' he said.
The experts estimate that adult men are at least four times more likely than adult women to have sexual feelings for a minor.
Retired police officer and private investigator Lionel De Souza said he has investigated relations between male tutors and their underage female students, but the recent court case allegedly involving an older woman and an underage boy was the first he has heard of.
Some psychiatrists said they do see women patients who admit to being attracted to younger men and even minors. Often, it is a passing phase rather than a sign of a disorder like paedophilia.
Said Dr Brian Yeo, a consultant psychiatrist at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre: 'It's now more acceptable for older women to show interest in younger men. It's an issue only if they are minors.'
Dr Simon Siew, also a consultant psychiatrist at Mount Elizabeth, said the woman's need to be with a minor can stem from an inferiority complex due to problems such as failed relationships. 'She might want to feel that she's still attractive,' he said.
Dr Wang said such women may be going through a rough patch or have a borderline personality disorder which leads to the inability to form stable relationships.
'The boy in the relationship may also be generally mature for his age,' he added.
With regard to the school environment, Mr Kuna said: 'Teachers can be very caring and the teenager may not be getting the same kind of attention from his mother.'
Such a relationship is likely to have an effect on the minor. 'He may have relationship difficulties later in life and avoid women. The boy may feel betrayed and may harbour anger,' said psychologist Daniel Koh.
Most counsellors and psychiatrists felt such cases will remain uncommon.
Still, Dr Siew said increasing awareness might lead to a rise in the number of such cases surfacing.
He added that with children gaining knowledge about sex at an earlier age, 'more such cases may occur, though they are likely to remain undiscovered'. [email protected]
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Adult-minor trysts where the adult is a woman are rare in Singapore, say experts </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Shuli Sudderuddin
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->A recent report here of a 32-year-old woman charged with having sex with a 15-year-old minor, her former student, made many sit up.
It is believed to be the first case here of an alleged adult-minor tryst in which the adult is a woman. The case will be heard on Nov 7.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>'The thrill in a school setting is not just a sexual one. There is an element of control for the teacher in terms of grades and attendance, and for the student, it is often a fantasy.'
DR BRIAN YEO, a consultant psychiatrist
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>But one psychiatrist, when contacted by The Sunday Times, spoke of an almost similar tryst, except that the teenager, also a former student, was older and already doing national service at the time.
The woman, a former secondary school teacher in her 30s, had gone to see Dr Adrian Wang, a consultant psychiatrist at Gleneagles Medical Centre, seeking treatment for depression.
She told him she had felt lonely and was feeling vulnerable when she became intimate with her ex-student.
Such cases are less uncommon in the United States. Back in the 1990s, for instance, former teacher Mary Kay Letourneau was jailed for raping her former sixth-grade student. The couple had two daughters and in 2005, she married him. She was 43 and he was 22.
Psychiatrists and counsellors here said that such liaisons are rare though they do occur. Mr Sam Kuna, executive director of Teen Challenge, which addresses teen issues and family crises, said teenagers may develop an infatuation for people in authority whom they admire.
'However, this usually does not approach intimacy as the adult draws the boundaries,' he said.
The experts estimate that adult men are at least four times more likely than adult women to have sexual feelings for a minor.
Retired police officer and private investigator Lionel De Souza said he has investigated relations between male tutors and their underage female students, but the recent court case allegedly involving an older woman and an underage boy was the first he has heard of.
Some psychiatrists said they do see women patients who admit to being attracted to younger men and even minors. Often, it is a passing phase rather than a sign of a disorder like paedophilia.
Said Dr Brian Yeo, a consultant psychiatrist at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre: 'It's now more acceptable for older women to show interest in younger men. It's an issue only if they are minors.'
Dr Simon Siew, also a consultant psychiatrist at Mount Elizabeth, said the woman's need to be with a minor can stem from an inferiority complex due to problems such as failed relationships. 'She might want to feel that she's still attractive,' he said.
Dr Wang said such women may be going through a rough patch or have a borderline personality disorder which leads to the inability to form stable relationships.
'The boy in the relationship may also be generally mature for his age,' he added.
With regard to the school environment, Mr Kuna said: 'Teachers can be very caring and the teenager may not be getting the same kind of attention from his mother.'
Such a relationship is likely to have an effect on the minor. 'He may have relationship difficulties later in life and avoid women. The boy may feel betrayed and may harbour anger,' said psychologist Daniel Koh.
Most counsellors and psychiatrists felt such cases will remain uncommon.
Still, Dr Siew said increasing awareness might lead to a rise in the number of such cases surfacing.
He added that with children gaining knowledge about sex at an earlier age, 'more such cases may occur, though they are likely to remain undiscovered'. [email protected]
