Jail for workshop trainer who asked teen for indecent photos

After conducting a session for the boy's class as part of a leadership workshop, he chatted up the 15-year-old student on Instagram - even though Tay Yi Hui, 28, knew he was not allowed to contact students after the workshop under Ministry of Education (MOE) regulations.

He initially asked the boy about school, but the conversation quickly took a sexual turn, with him asking the teen to send a photo of himself in his underwear. The boy did not comply and reported it to his teacher.

Yesterday, Tay was jailed for two months after pleading guilty to attempting to procure an indecent act by a young person.

At the time, he was employed as a trainer at High Achievers Training Consultancy, which specialises in youth development training, according to its website.

Between May 27 and May 30 last year, the firm held a leadership workshop for students at the boy's school.

The boy requested to follow Tay on Instagram on the last day after their session, and the latter accepted the request that night.

He started the conversation, telling the boy to keep it a secret because he was not allowed to be in contact with students after the workshop had ended.

Tay told the boy he was cute and asked him if he dated men and minded having a boyfriend who was much older.

He also sent the boy a photo of his laptop, which had an image of Tay in the nude with his right hand covering his private parts.

At about midnight, Tay asked the boy to send a photo of himself in his underwear, but the boy said he was too young to do so. Tay continued discussing sexual topics with him. Before ending the conversation, he again asked the boy to keep it a secret. But the boy reported it to his teacher the next day on May 31. The teacher lodged a police report on Aug 6 last year.

The Deputy Public Prosecutor highlighted that Tay had a mentor-student relationship with the boy, though the degree of exploitation was low.

The DPP added that Tay starting the conversation, deliberately steering it towards sexual topics and telling the boy to keep mum to avoid detection were aggravating factors.

Tay's lawyer Kwoh Ji Wei asked for six weeks' jail and said his client was contrite and a first-time offender.

District Judge Seah Chi-Ling convened a community court conference to formulate a post-release treatment plan for Tay to reduce his risk of reoffending.

For attempting to procure an indecent act by a young person below 16, Tay could have been fined up to $10,000, jail for up to five years, or both.