Briton who molested three-year-old girl at Singapore early learning centre sentenced to jail and caning

Richard Monks had pleaded guilty in February on account of molesting a three-year-old student

Representative: A girl playing with soap bubbles (AFP via Getty Images)

A Briton was sentenced to 18 months in jail and three strokes of the cane on Wednesday after he was found guilty of molesting a three-year-old girl at a learning centre in Singapore.

Richard Christopher Monks, 29, pleaded guilty in February on one count of molesting the toddler during his class on 20 October 2018.

Monks was caught molesting the minor on closed-circuit television (CCTV) installed inside the classroom. He could be seen repeatedly lifting the victim’s pink dress and caressing her buttocks with his left hand, reported the Strait Times.

The girl conveyed her discomfort by fidgeting and turning back to look at the accused several times, the prosecution told the court. “Despite (her) discomfort, the accused continued to touch and caress her buttocks,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Hsiao Tien.

At the time of the incident, there were about six children in the room and the victim was the youngest student in the class.

While the defendant argued for one year of jail terms and no cane strokes, the prosecutor sought at least two years of imprisonment and four strokes of cane, reported Yahoo News Singapore.

At an earlier hearing, his lawyer Patrick Fernandez informed the court that his client had apologised to the victim and her family for the distress and harm he caused and that he had chosen to not claim the trial because he was mindful not to subject the victim to the trauma of reliving the incident.

The offence first came to light in October last year, when the girl expressed her reluctance to go to the learning centre.

When her parents asked why, she told them that "teacher Richard", had "touched her", pointing to her buttocks. Her mother subsequently reported the matter to the police. Monks was arrested in November after he returned to the country from his trip to Thailand.

One can be sentenced up to five years, if found guilty of molesting a child below 14 years old.