SINGAPORE — A Malaysian man who worked as a cook at a Singapore pre-school was sentenced today to nine years, four months and seven weeks in jail for molesting three toddlers under his care.
According to The Straits Times, 61-year-old Teo Guan Huat, a Singapore permanent resident, pleaded guilty to three charges of molestation, with five other similar charges taken into consideration.
District Judge Vince Gui described Teo’s actions as “abhorrent” and said his offences amounted to an abuse of trust, noting that the victims were “young and defenceless”.
Teo was employed as a cook but had been helping with childcare tasks such as escorting children to showers, arranging bedding and patting them to sleep — duties outside his role. Between May and November 2023, he took advantage of these moments to inappropriately touch three girls aged
The offences came to light on November 16, 2023, when a staff member saw closed-circuit television footage showing Teo behaving inappropriately with one of the children. He was asked to leave the pre-school shortly after, and a police report was filed on December 2.
Teo was arrested two days later after police recovered deleted footage of the incidents. In court, he admitted targeting the children because they were unable to speak up. A psychiatric report diagnosed him with paedophilic disorder, though prosecutors said the condition did not affect his ability to distinguish right from wrong.
Offenders convicted of molesting a child below 14 in Singapore face up to five years in jail, a fine, caning, or a combination of these penalties. Teo was exempted from caning due to his age.
The Straits Times reported that four women, aged between 48 and 66, were later charged for allegedly withholding information about the incidents. One of them was issued a stern warning and discharged in July.
The pre-school was fined S$26,200 (RM84,000) by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) in May and barred from enrolling new pupils. ECDA also took disciplinary action against four members of the school’s management, banning three from the sector. The agency said its investigation found several lapses that compromised children’s safety.
