A 61-year-old Malaysian cook has been convicted of sexually assaulting three toddlers at a Singapore preschool in what prosecutors have described as one of the most horrendous cases of sexual abuse in a preschool setting. Teo Guan Huat, a Singapore permanent resident, pleaded guilty on October 27th to multiple counts of outraging the modesty of children aged one to two years old.
The disturbing offenses occurred over a seven-month period from May to November 2023, during which Teo repeatedly inserted his hands into the diapers of the young girls, assaulting them multiple times each week. Despite being employed solely as a cook, Teo had been assigned additional duties that provided him unsupervised access to children, including escorting them for showers, setting up naptime mattresses, and patting them to sleep—responsibilities outside his designated job scope.
Court proceedings revealed that Teo deliberately targeted the toddlers because they couldn't verbalize the abuse, believing this would reduce his chances of detection. He strategically committed the assaults in the preschool's nap room while teachers were present, waiting for moments when they weren't directly observing his interactions with the children. In one particularly egregious instance documented in court, Teo molested one victim at least nine times over a 25-minute period, stopping only when a teacher sat down beside him.
The prosecution, seeking at least ten years imprisonment, emphasized the extreme vulnerability of the victims and the profound breach of trust. Deputy Public Prosecutor Claire Poh noted that the children would hug Teo when they saw him, demonstrating the familiarity and trust he had cultivated before violating it through his predatory actions.
During proceedings, Teo disclosed that he suffered from erectile dysfunction and had never been in a relationship, stating he "wanted to see and wanted to touch" as explanation for his behavior. Although an Institute of Mental Health report diagnosed Teo with pedophilic disorder, prosecutors clarified this condition did not directly contribute to his offenses or impair his judgment and impulse control during the crimes.
The abuse came to light on November 16th, 2023, when a staff member reviewing CCTV footage observed Teo inserting his hand into a child's diaper. School management confronted Teo, who resigned on November 23rd, 2023. However, significant delays occurred in reporting the incident to authorities, with a police report filed only on December 2nd, 2023. During this interval, the preschool's CCTV system was reformatted, erasing crucial evidence, though investigators successfully recovered the deleted footage. Teo was subsequently arrested on December 4th, 2023.
Four female staff members aged between 48 and 66 faced charges for allegedly covering up the incident, each receiving one charge of intentionally omitting information about the sexual assaults. In July, the 66-year-old woman received a stern warning and discharge amounting to acquittal, while proceedings continue for the remaining three individuals.
Defense lawyer A. Revi Shanker acknowledged his client's wrongdoing while suggesting the preschool shared responsibility for permitting Teo to care for children despite his official role as cook. The case has been adjourned for sentencing on November 10th.
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