Teenager molested three women, two of them elderly, in six hours
A teenager was convicted yesterday after he molested three women, two of them in their 70s, within a span of six hours.
Khamalhan Kavnor Subramaniam, 17, a Malaysian national, pleaded guilty to three counts of molestation.
Another charge of insulting the modesty of a woman was taken into consideration.
The teen began his spree at about 6.15pm on Dec 16 last year.
He was standing at a letterbox when he saw his first victim, a 49-year-old woman, about to take the lift at a block in the Bendemeer area.
He went into the lift and stood behind her.
As the lift door opened on another level and the victim was exiting, Khamalhan used his left hand to molest her on the buttocks.
The woman turned around and shouted at him as he remained in the lift. The doors closed and he later exited on another level.
At about 7pm, he went to another block in the Whampoa area and found his second victim, a 79-year-old woman, tending to her plants along the corridor.
He walked past her unit several times before asking her if her son had gone to work.
After he was sure no one else was around, he molested her with a swiping motion at her buttocks as she was squatting.
Khamalhan then fled while the victim called the police.
At about 11.20pm, he went to another block in the Bendemeer area where he found his third victim, a 73-year-old woman.
He took the same lift with her at the block and stood beside her.
As she was about to exit, he reached over and grabbed her chest area.
SCARED
The woman was scared, but was unable to confront the accused as she could not speak English.
Yesterday, two videos of the incidents that occurred in the lifts were played in court.
The videos showed Khamalhan dressed in a white top with sunglasses in the lifts.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Bjorn Tan told the court the offences were serious and egregious.
However, he noted the accused did not have any prior convictions and was a young offender.
The prosecution did not object to the calling of a report to determine his suitability for reformative training.
Khamalhan's lawyer Foo Ho Chew agreed.
According to him, the accused, who has been in remand since Dec 19 last year, was allegedly assaulted by another person in remand.
District Judge Ong Chin Rhu said the accused should make a formal police report, and DPP Tan said the prosecution would look into the matter.
The judge called for the reformative training report and said the court would expedite the matter as much as possible.
Khamalhan, who has been remanded for the sake of the report, is expected to be back in court on March 3.
For molestation, he can be jailed for up to two years, or fined, or caned, or given any combination of the three punishments.
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