A 62-year-old taxi driver, Ong Tong Chye, was sentenced on 17 July to 11 months imprisonment for molesting a 14-year-old boy in his taxi, according to TODAY Online.
Ong faced one count of using criminal force to outrage the victim’s modesty, which he pleaded guilty to on the first day of the trial.
He cannot be caned as well because he is over 50 years old.
What happened?
The incident occurred on January 28, 2021, when the victim and his boyfriend, another 14-year-old boy, booked a ride on a ride-hailing mobile application and got into Ong’s taxi, where they had a chat with the driver.
After picking up the two boys from Westgate Mall in Jurong East, Ong stopped the taxi and asked the victim to move to the front passenger seat.
The victim agreed, and the pair began chatting. Ong then told the victim that he wanted to touch his hand. The victim rejected Ong’s advances, but he ignored the boy and started stroking his hand while continuing to drive the taxi with his other.
Even after the victim pushed him away, Ong continued and told the boy he wanted to touch his chest. The victim rejected Ong again, but he ignored the boy once more before molesting him.
The victim leaned against the car door in an attempt to stay away from Ong in the driver’s seat, but Ong persisted and said he wanted to touch the victim’s private parts despite the boy’s rejection, and Ong then groped the boy over his pants.
When the taxi arrived at the victim’s second destination, the victim shouted that he wanted to go home but Ong refused to let him leave his taxi, before letting him go after the boy gave him a fake number.
The boy then told his grandmother about what happened after he reached home, as well as informed his teacher about the incident the next day in school.
He was then brought to lodge a police report later that day.