Indian tourist jailed for molesting child in Singapore

Singapore: An Indian tourist has been jailed for three months in Singapore for molesting a 12-year-old girl at a swimming complex and sending her inappropriate messages on Instagram.

Pramender, 25, who goes by only one name and was a tourist here, pleaded guilty on Friday to one charge of attempting to procure the commission of an indecent act by a child and one charge of molesting a child under 14, according to a Channel News Asia (CNA) report.

A third charge of trespassing was taken into account for his sentencing.

Pramender was accused of following the victim to the toilet at Jalan Besar swimming complex, where she was with her family on Mar 31, the CNA report said on Friday.

Pramender also took the girl’s phone and accessed her Instagram account and used it to follow his account. He later sent 13 inappropriate messages to her on Instagram. The victim got scared seeing the messages and reported the incident to the lifeguard on duty.

The victim’s mother later complained to police, following which Pramender was arrested on April 2.

During the court hearing on Friday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ashley Chin noted that the victim was young and vulnerable at 12 years old, and that there was “some degree of exploitation”.

While pronouncing his verdict, District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt noted that the situation could have been worse if the victim’s cousins were not there to protect her from Pramender.

As per Singaporean law, the punishment for attempting to procure the commission of an indecent act by a child below 16 years old is a jail term of up to seven years, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both. For molesting a child under 14 years old, Pramender could have faced a jail term of up to five years, a fine, caning, or any combination of the three.