Singapore ex-teacher gets 16 years’ jail and caning for preying on 14-year-old student

A man walks into the State Courts building in Singapore on June 26, 2026. — AFP pic

By Malay Mail

First Published: Thursday, 17 Sep 2026 4:34 PM MYT

SINGAPORE, Sept 17 — A 45-year-old former secondary school physical education teacher who sexually exploited his 14-year-old student in hotel rooms and during a school camp was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane on Sept 16.

The man had earlier pleaded guilty before the High Court to three counts of sexual penetration of a minor, with another 12 sexual offence charges involving the same victim taken into consideration during sentencing, The Straits Times reported.

A court gag order protects the identity of the victim, who is now 18 years old, prohibiting the publication of the offender's name or any information leading to her identification.

In passing sentence, High Court Judge Kwek Mean Luck agreed with the prosecution that the man’s actions were calculated and premeditated.

The court heard that the offender, who had 18 years of teaching experience, initiated contact with the student on Instagram in 2022 by discussing books and writing. The conversations soon migrated to Telegram, where he instructed her to periodically delete messages to avoid detection.

The judge highlighted that the offender systematically groomed the victim, convincing her to “hang out” in a hotel room where he caressed her and hugged her to sleep. Once she became comfortable in that setting, he booked hotel rooms on five additional occasions over the following three months.

“He exploited these opportunities alone with the victim to commit numerous sexual offences against her,” Kwek noted, pointing out that the offender took deliberate precautions to conceal his tracks by ensuring they entered and exited the premises separately.

The relationship culminated in further abuse in January 2023 when the offender summoned the girl to an isolated room during an official school camp to sexually violate her.

The victim ended the relationship later that month due to his increasingly possessive and jealous behaviour. After the girl's friend alerted a teacher on Feb 7, the school management notified the victim's parents, who lodged a police report on Feb 9.