Teen Asked 12-Year-Old Girl To Be His Model For A Photography Contest But Molested Her Instead

As a kid growing up in the suburbs of the West, my mum would constantly make it a point to remind me:

“Don’t follow strangers around alright? They might do bad stuff to you.”

And when my dad’s around, he would say:

“What could they possibly do to him? I think we’ll be better off if he just gets carried off, saves all our expenses and effort… hey I’m joking, I’M JOKING.”

As my mum gives my dad the classic RKO, I will think:

“What bad stuff will they do to us?’

And although I never really comprehended the severity of it all (cos I was so young and previous), I do now. And this 12-year-old girl’s ordeal all but sums it up.

Don’t follow strangers around, because they might do bad stuff to you.

Photography model

On 12 July last year, a teenager requested for a 12-year-old girl to be his model for a photography competition, and drew her to a staircase landing where he proceeded to molest her.

The incident took place in Bukit Panjang.

According to Stomp, the girl was on her way home from school at around 3:15 p.m. when a teenager, Lester Ong Pei Cong, had approached her near a lift lobby.

They reportedly did not know each other at the time.

When approached, the girl was asked if she was willing to be his photography model, and she agreed.

The pair went up a flight of stairs to the second storey of the block, and it was there that he patted her buttocks. Thereafter, Ong made it a point to apologise, which led the girl to believe that he had accidentally touched her.

Later on, Ong, under the guise of helping her pose, proceeded to molest her.

She went on to tell her parents what happened upon reaching home, and a police report was lodged.

Just so you’ve forgotten, here’s a reminder: the girl was 12.

Arrested

Officers eventually arrested Ong, and he was brought into custody. The case was brought to court, and it was revealed that Ong never had the intention of taking photos.

“The accused admitted that he had used the photography competition as an excuse for the victim to follow him,” the DPP told District Judge Eddy Tham.

Expressing that he didn’t take any photos, Ong admitted that he had “acted in a moment of impulse and had regretted his actions”.

He pleaded guilty in court last Friday (29 March) to outraging the girl’s modesty on 12 July last year.

The teenager is expected to be sentenced on 25 April.

According to The New Paper, offenders convicted of molesting a girl below 14 years old can be jailed for up to five years and fined or caned.

It’s not the first molestation case in recent months

In January, male model Coker Gyles Akinkumni Jagdeesh, 21, admitted to molesting a woman, also 21, after a Sentosa Cove private party in 2017.

He was subsequently sentenced to 15 months’ probation on 27 Feb.

Additionally, he’s required to remain indoors from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. every day, and has to go through 100 hours of community service.

His uncle was also bonded for $5,000 to ensure good behaviour on Jagdeesh’s part.

And so… what now?

A while back, my boss told me that the majority of Goody Feed’s audience belongs to the more ‘mature’ sector.

“They’re basically older lah,” he told me in no unclear tone. “Like 80 to 100 years old.”

And so, I highly doubt you guys need a lesson on not following strangers around, especially those driving pedobear trucks and waving lollipops in your faces.

But hey, just in case there are some from the younger generation here, always remember alright?

Don’t follow strangers around, no matter what they promise or request.