Yahoo Finance Man who molested runaway girl, 11, jailed, caned
SINGAPORE — A man who found an 11-year-old girl sleeping at a void deck advised her not to sleep there, and brought her to a rooftop garden at a multi-storey carpark.
However, as Muhammad Fitri Muhammad Hozir Bonawi lay beside the sleeping girl later that day, he molested her.
Fitri, 26, was jailed for one year and three months on Friday (19 March) and given three strokes of the cane after he pleaded guilty to one count of molesting a person under 14.
Another two charges of a similar nature were taken into consideration for his sentencing.
The victim, now 12, cannot be named due to a gag order protecting her identity.
She had run away from home on 11 January last year as she was not on good terms with her stepmother, and took to sleeping at void decks at night, while spending the days with friends.
On 16 January last year, she spend the night at a void deck of a block in 146 Bedok Reservoir Road and was woken up by Fitri at about 1am on 17 January. He advised her not to sleep at the void deck, and the girl said she had been kicked out of her house.
Fitri suggested that the girl sleep at a rooftop garden at a nearby multi-storey carpark and she agreed. She followed him there and the two had a chat. When the victim realised that Fitri wanted to spend the night with her, she felt uncomfortable and did not dare fall asleep.
The two later went for supper before returning to a basketball court near the rooftop garden at about 3.30am. They lay beside each other, with a gap in between, and chatted.
At around 6am, the girl fell asleep and Fitri touched her groin over her jeans. The girl felt the contact and told Fitri to stop. Fitri stopped and the girl fell asleep again. However, Fitri again molested the girl in the same manner.
The girl then sat up and decided she was not going to sleep anymore. At this point, Fitri hugged her from the front and kissed her on the lips. He left the rooftop garden shortly after.
The victim told a friend about the incident and she later made a police report. Fitri was traced and placed under arrest on 3 February last year. He admitted to touching and kissing the victim and to knowing that she was 12 years old.
Fitri's lawyer Noor Marican told the court that his client was remorseful and had cooperated fully.
For molesting a person under 14, Fitri could have been jailed up to five years, with a fine, and/or caning.
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