On Friday, June 23, a teenager aged 17 appeared in court, facing charges related to the penetration of a 15-year-old girl. Additionally, he is also being accused of instigating the girl 11 months later to bury the body of the dead baby after she had given birth to the child, according to a report by Channel NewsAsia.
The boy faced 2 charges in court, and his identity cannot be disclosed due to a court order protecting the identity of the victim.
According to MustShareNews which quoted The Straits Times and reported that the boy is currently still studying and is from a “popular school in Singapore”.
The first charge pertains to the alleged penetration of a minor where he had intercourse with the then-15-year-old girl, which is said to have taken place at a Housing Board flat sometime in July 2020.
The second charge stems from an incident on June 10, 2021. It is claimed that the teenager urged the 16-year-old girl to conceal the birth of her child. Allegedly, this involved secretly burying the baby’s dead body in an undisclosed location.
Under the Penal Code, it is a criminal offense to hide a birth by discreetly disposing of a deceased body, regardless of whether the child passed away before, during, or after birth.
Represented by Mr. Choo Si Sen, the teenage boy has been granted bail in the amount of S$15,000. His next court appearance is scheduled for 7 August later this year.
In the event that he is found guilty of penetrating a minor, he could face a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, along with fines or caning.
If convicted of abetting the girl in concealing the birth of her child, he may be sentenced to a maximum of two years in jail, a fine, or both.