A 20-year-old Chinese national was fined S$4,000 after he admitted to molesting a female schoolmate at an international school in Singapore.
The incident took place on Oct. 6, 2025, and both the accused and the victim were students at the school who did not know each other.
The accused pleaded guilty to one charge of outrage of modesty. A gag order was imposed to protect the victim’s identity.
Claimed Contact Was Accidental
According to court proceedings, the victim was on the first floor of the school building at about 8:34am and was about to take the stairs to the second floor.
The accused, who was behind her, reportedly stared at her before deciding to touch her.
He then shifted his backpack from his shoulder and held it tightly in his hand while pretending to be late for class.
As he briskly walked past the victim, he reached out with his right hand and touched her buttocks.
The victim, who was wearing shorts, felt his fingers make contact and immediately confronted him.
In response, the accused pointed to his school bag and claimed that the contact had been accidental.
The victim did not accept the explanation and lodged a police report later that day at about 1:28pm, alleging that she had been sexually harassed.
CCTV Footage Obtained During Investigation
Police subsequently reviewed surveillance footage from the school, which provided evidence of the incident.
The accused was arrested on Feb. 5, 2026.
During mitigation, defence lawyers said the accused had been expelled from the international school following the incident.
They argued that the time and effort he had invested in studying in Singapore had effectively been rendered meaningless.
The defence asked the court to impose a fine not exceeding S$3,000.
Court Imposes S$4,000 Fine
The prosecution submitted that the offence did not cross the threshold for a custodial sentence.
Prosecutors noted that there was no direct skin contact and that the victim’s private parts were not touched.
However, they sought a fine of S$5,000.
The court ultimately imposed a fine of S$4,000 on the accused.