Every so often, we would hope that people will learn their lesson and change for the better after their mistakes have been pointed out.
Sadly, things do not always turn out how we hope for.
Like this man.
Harassment & Insulting Modesty Of Woman
A 26-year-old man, Soh Wee Boon, was on trial for one charge of harassment and two charges of insulting the modesty of a woman.
Soh was reported to have sexually harassed a 13-year-old girl and 12-year-old girl on 2 April 2019 and 5 April 2019 respectively.
In both instances, Soh asked the two girls what they think of him as a female and if he should “cut off” his private parts for a gender change.
He had, purportedly, asked the 12-year-old girl to “take off your skirt now” and allow him to wear it.
Few days before harassing the schoolgirls, a police report was lodged against Soh for pestering a 45-year-old nurse.
According to her, he was wearing a black dress and asked her if he would look nice dressing as a female. The lady then quickly entered the lift as she was shocked.
She then phoned her husband, who called the police.
Repeated Offences
According to TODAYonline, Soh suffers from mild intellectual disability and gender identity disorder.
He was previously convicted for insulting the modesty of a woman, criminal intimidation and performing obscene acts while working at a petrol kiosk.
He was released in March on remission for good behaviour. However, he was unable to return to his job as a petrol kiosk pump attendance.
Hence, he turned to selling tissue paper packets at Yishun where the following 3 incidents happened.
Yea, Yishun – again.
Compelled By Tough Circumstances
During the trial, Soh’s lawyer, Mr Tan Jeh Yaw, said that Soh’s actions were mainly caused by his mental condition and said that Soh was not “beyond redemption”.
Soh’s grandmother also told the court that he had a “bad” childhood where his parents were divorced and his dad was a glue-sniffer while his mum is currently in prison.
She added that Soh’s older brother was sentenced to life imprisonment as he killed a woman in 2010.
She pleaded for District Judge Eddy Tham to give Soh another chance and stated that the court can “jail him for whatever length the court decide” if Soh were to commit any offence again.
Told To Change Sex As A Kid
Mr Tan defended Soh stating that his gender identity disorder was a result from his experiences from a young age where a female classmate repeatedly asked Soh to change his sex and wear a dress.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Sunil Nair argued that a senior consultant of the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) declared Soh to be of sound mind and fit to plead in court.
DPP Nair stated that Soh was not “so intellectually impaired” to have not learned from his previous punishments and he was aware of his own actions.
The court has since sentenced him to 11 months and 2 weeks in jail, which is an enhanced sentenced of 90 days’ jail as the District Judge considered that the public order needs to be protected.
Whatever it is, I do hope that Soh would find the help he needs and not re-offend again.
I do hope the victims will be able to recover from the trauma as well!
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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