Art teacher found guilty of molesting 13-year-old boy in school

Other students were around, but their presence did not stop an art teacher from molesting his 13-year-old male student.

A district court heard the teacher, now 38, squeezed the right side of the Secondary 2 student's chest and told the teen he resembled a Japanese pornographic comic character. He also touched the boy's groin and buttock that afternoon.

Yesterday, District Judge John Ng found the teacher guilty of three counts of molestation.

The man cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the boy's identity.

In her submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Amanda Chong said that on Feb 17, 2016, the boy was working on a sculpture in the school's Art Studio 1. Sometime after 3pm, the teacher walked over to the boy's table and molested him.

Said DPP Chong: "The victim felt uncomfortable as a result of the accused's touching... He wanted to complete the sculpture and go home at the earliest moment possible. He therefore shrugged it off."

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The teacher then went to the Higher Art Room. Later, the boy took his sculpture there to ask for the teacher's guidance. The man asked him sensitive questions and said the boy's leg hair was "very sexy". He molested the boy two more times.

The court heard that as the boy walked out, the man asked: "Why? Too shy?"

When the boy reached home, he told his mother about what happened and she called his form teacher, who alerted the school's management.

The principal testified in court that she and the vice-principal met the art teacher the next day. She said he appeared "shocked and remorseful" and told her he knew he had gone overboard.

The court heard that the man denied molesting the teenager. He is out on bail of $15,000 and will be back in court on Aug 14.

Replying to queries from The Straits Times, a Ministry of Education spokesman yesterday said disciplinary action will be taken against the teacher, who has been suspended from duty since February 2016.

"Educators who fail to comply with our standards of conduct and discipline will be subjected to disciplinary action. In serious cases, they may be dismissed from the service," the spokesman added.