SINGAPORE — Convincing a woman at a playground that he needed to complete a “game challenge” to retrieve his slippers, 35-year-old Tan Boon Hwee managed to persuade her to let him draw smiley faces on her toes. His deception didn’t end there, as he proceeded to touch and adjust her feet under the guise of taking photos for the fake challenge.

For his actions, Tan was sentenced to eight months in jail on Thursday (Aug 15) for outrage of modesty. In addition to this, he was given an extra 36 days of jail time as he committed the offense while under a remission order, which is granted to prisoners who demonstrate good behavior, allowing for early release after serving two-thirds of their sentence.

Tan has a prior criminal history involving similar offenses from 2019 to 2023, during which he targeted women by focusing on their feet. Despite suffering from chronic adjustment disorder and paraphilic disorder, the Institute of Mental Health recently confirmed that these conditions were not linked to his behavior.

Incident Details

On April 18, 2024, Tan set out with the intention of molesting women by touching their feet. Armed with a black marker, he approached a 35-year-old woman at a playground in Ang Mo Kio, claiming to be a volunteer at a student-care center. He fabricated a story that he had lost a game and needed to draw smiley faces on the feet of five people to retrieve his slippers.

Believing his story, the woman initially drew the smiley faces on her own feet. However, when Tan requested to draw on her toes, she allowed him, thinking it was part of the challenge. Tan then adjusted her feet and snapped photos with his phone before asking if they could be friends, a request the woman declined.

After returning home, the woman conducted an online search and realized that Tan had been previously featured in news reports for similar offenses. Worried that he might have taken inappropriate photos, she promptly filed a police report.

History of Repeat Offenses

Tan’s pattern of behavior was already well-established. In 2019, he was fined S$8,000 for five molestation charges, and in 2022, he received two weeks and five days in jail for touching women’s feet under false pretenses. One such instance involved posing as a member of a fictitious charity, the “Barefoot Walking Society,” to molest a woman he had met on Tinder.

Prosecution and Defense Arguments

Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) Lydia Goh pushed for a sentence of nine to 10 months, citing Tan’s continued offending while under a remission order. She highlighted that his recent behavior mirrored his previous convictions and indicated that Tan had not learned from his past mistakes.

Tan’s lawyer, Mr. Mohamed Sarhan from the Public Defender’s Office, argued for a lighter sentence of six to seven months, pointing out that the degree of exploitation was low as the contact involved feet rather than private parts. He also requested a 13-day additional sentence for the remission breach.

Judge’s Remarks

In his sentencing, District Judge Lim Tse Haw emphasized the need for specific deterrence to prevent Tan from reoffending and general deterrence to protect the public. Addressing Tan directly, the judge warned that any future offenses would result in much harsher punishment.

For the offense of molestation, the law allows for a sentence of up to three years, a fine, caning, or a combination of these penalties.