'Victim' in vice-principal sex crimes says he was accused of extortion | The New Paper
Singapore

'Victim' in vice-principal sex crimes says he was accused of extortion

This article is more than 12 months old

A man who accused his primary school vice-principal of sexual offences against him said he decided to alert police when the alleged abuser refused to settle out of court for $200,000 and accused him of extortion.

The pair, who had previously lived together, met on Nov 24, 2015 - 12 years after the alleged offences began - but instead of reaching an agreement, the vice-principal sent his former pupil a cease and desist order from a lawyer, a court heard yesterday.

On the second day of the 55-year-old teacher's trial, the 29-year-old alleged victim testified that the older man sent him a text message later that day which insulted his parents and told him to lodge a police report.

The younger man, a Singaporean who came here from China in 1999, alerted the police the next day, telling the court yesterday: "I felt justice needed to be served."

INDECENT ACT

The vice-principal is on trial for three counts of committing an indecent act on a young person and six of having carnal intercourse against the order of nature with the victim when he was a teenager.

He has been suspended from his duties. The man and the vice-principal cannot be named due to a gag order.

Yesterday, the victim testified that he did not want to inform the police about the case at first due to his responsibilities to the vice-principal's family, adding that he had treated the man's parents like his own grandparents.

The victim told District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt that he had helped in taking care of the older man's ill parents and his alleged abuser was also supporting the family financially.

Wiping away tears, he added: "If I reported, the whole family dynamics would change because (the vice-principal's) job would be affected."

Instead, he tried to settle the matter out of court by asking for compensation.

COURT & CRIME