Skipping rope coach on trial for sexually abusing student
A skipping rope coach, who faces a slew of charges for sexual offences against a student between late 2008 and late 2010, is contesting the allegations in a trial that started in the High Court yesterday.
Roger Yue Jr, 59, faces a total of 48 charges for various offences against the alleged victim, who was between 13 and 14 at the time.
The prosecution has zeroed in on seven charges - two for statutory rape and five for sexual penetration of a minor.
These offences were allegedly committed when the victim was 13 years old. The remaining 41 charges have been stood down for the time being.
The alleged victim, who is now 22 years old, cannot be named because of a gag order to protect her identity.
Opening the prosecution's case, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicholas Lai set out the context of how Yue allegedly committed the offences at his now-defunct studio in Tampines, at his home in Tampines and at a school.
The DPP told the court that the alleged victim became acquainted with Yue in 2006, when he was appointed to coach her primary school's skipping rope team. Yue later invited her to join his private competitive skipping rope team. He also got her to help him as he coached teams from several schools.
The DPP said that the alleged victim will testify that Yue continued sexually violating her until late 2010, when she finally stopped associating with him.
Eventually, she told her polytechnic lecturer and counsellor what Yue had done to her.
She made a police report on April 28, 2014.
The DPP said that the prosecution will seek to admit as evidence a statement Yue had given the police on May 21, 2014, which supports the alleged victim's account.
Yue had also made a number of "crucial admissions" to an Institute of Mental Health psychiatrist when he was examined in August 2014 and September 2014, said the DPP.
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