A man landed himself a year in jail yesterday for preying on teenage schoolgirls in crowded MRT trains, The Straits Times reported.
Bangladeshi construction worker Ray Chandan, 37, pleaded guilty to two counts of outrage of modesty, with a third count of molestation of a 15-year-old girl taken into consideration. His modus operandi comprised of taking advantage of packed train carriages, usually striking during the stretch between Yishun and Khatib MRT stations.
The first case involved a 17-year-old girl, with whom he boarded the train at Sembawang station at 6:50am on May 11. While she was busy with her phone, he moved over to touch her private parts over her clothes. Even when she stepped back, he didn’t stop molesting her. The victim managed to snap a photo of him before alighting at Yio Chu Kang, and she lodged a police report later on.
On July 12, he struck again — this time with a 13-year-old girl. Again, he boarded the train at Sembawang in the early morning and stood close to the victim before putting his hand on her pelvis. According to the prosecution, the girl tried to push his hands away, but Ray continued to press his hand on her. He remained undeterred even when she moved to her right, and the sexual assault stopped only when she was about to alight at Yishun.
The incident was reported to her teacher and the police.
The prosecution sought a year in prison for Ray, citing that “such offences are a threat to public safety”.
