Jail for man, 64, who molested supermarket worker with cerebral palsy in mall toilet, then stole his wallet
- Tan Kim Chye, 64, molested a supermarket worker he followed into a shopping mall toilet
- After the victim pushed Tan away, he approached the man from behind again and pulled down his pants
- The victim had difficulty walking, speaking and hearing as he has cerebral palsy
- Tan then stole the man's wallet before fleeing from the toilet
- He was sentenced to 12 months' jail
BY
NIKKI YEO
Published February 13, 2024Updated February 13, 2024
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SINGAPORE — Claiming that he is “under a lot of stress” and “feeling very lonely”, Tan Kim Chye molested a man in a toilet near a shopping mall, before stealing the victim’s wallet.
Tan, 64, was sentenced to 12 months’ jail on Tuesday (Feb 13) after pleading guilty to one count of molestation and one count of theft.
The victim’s name, as well as the location of the crimes, cannot be published under a court order to protect his identity.
WHAT HAPPENED
On Jan 21, 2024, Tan entered the male toilet one minute after his victim, a 60-year old man who had worked in the Cold Storage supermarket located in the shopping mall for over 30 years.The man had difficulty walking, speaking and hearing as he had cerebral palsy and did not know Tan prior to the incident.
Just as the man was using a urinal, Tan suddenly approached him and touched the victim’s buttocks over his pants without his consent.
Before the victim could react, Tan then grabbed the man’s private parts and touched the area repeatedly.
After the victim recovered from shock, he pushed Tan’s hand away and went to wash his hands at the sink. He did not shout for help as he did not think anyone else was in the toilet at the time.
When the victim was washing his hands, Tan approached him from behind and pulled down his pants, before taking the man’s wallet from his pants pocket.
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After opening the wallet, which contained S$125 in cash, a bank card and the victim’s identity cards, Tan commented that there was a lot of money before fleeing with the wallet.
Tan's departure from the toilet was captured on closed-circuit television camera footage played in court, which showed Tan walking briskly out of the toilet in a black cap and shirt.
Soon after, the victim was seen searching the area near the outside of the toilet, but Tan had walked away too quickly for him to follow.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Norman Yew told the court that the victim had then reported the incident to mall security personnel. The police were then called.
Tan was arrested at his home the day after the incident. He told police at the time that he had observed that the victim had difficulty speaking and was “not normal”.
Tan also told the police that he had spent all the cash in the victim’s wallet on personal expenses and disposed of the wallet and its other contents in a rubbish bin.
DPP Yew told the court of Tan’s previous convictions for various offences including theft, cheating and criminal breach of trust.
Pleading for leniency, Tan said that his last conviction was in 2015 and that it had been “a long time since (he) last broke the law” and he would “turn over a new leaf”.
Representing himself in court, Tan added that he had been doing part-time work for the past decade.
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Before his mother died of cancer in 2018, he had promised her that he would “continue to be good” and not return to his “old life” of committing crimes, he said.
“I’m 64 (years old) this year, I’m diabetic, my eyes and legs are weak. I’m under a lot of stress and feel very lonely as I live alone,” said Tan in Mandarin.
Those who use criminal force to outrage the modesty of a person can be jailed for up to three years or fined or caned, or receive any combination of these punishments.
Anyone who commits theft can be jailed for up to three years, or be fined, or receive both punishments.
