SINGAPORE, Aug 8 — He had already been hauled to court for molesting a primary school boy at a lift lobby.

But while out on bail for his first offence, Low Wei Hao Jeremy proceeded to molest a 5-year-old girl.

Low, 20, pleaded guilty on Monday to two charges of using criminal force to molest the two minors.

Another charge of committing an obscene act with the girl will be taken into consideration when he is sentenced next Monday.

Deputy public prosecutor Gail Wong told the court that Low, who had just completed his polytechnic studies, committed his first offence on April 13, 2017.

He followed the 11-year-old boy as he walked home from school around the Petir Road area in Bukit Panjang.

As the boy walked past a ground floor lift lobby, Low pulled him by the shoulder and groped him over his school shorts. As the boy struggled, Low pulled him to the ground and molested him further.

The attack lasted for about 5 to 10 seconds before Low fled. The boy returned home and told his mother, who called the police.

Low was detained shortly after. He later blamed his actions on a newspaper article about a child molester.

A report from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) said that Low felt "satisfied" about the knowledge he gleaned from the article, and he had reread it on an almost daily basis for about six months.

The IMH report noted that Low was diagnosed with paedophilia and mild autism.

He was charged in court in July 2017 and subsequently released on bail.

But Low struck again several months later on Oct ober29, 2017, molesting his second victim — a 5-year-old girl who was alone in the storeroom of her mother's shop in High Street Centre.

Low had been in the building around 2pm that day to meet his lawyer to discuss his first charge.

While walking past the first floor of the building, he noticed the girl through the shop's glass window. He then entered the shop and molested the girl.

He also committed an obscene act against the minor. Low fled after the girl's mother came to check on her.

Police found Low loitering at the 18th floor of the building and arrested him.

The 20-year-old claimed that he had been seeking treatment at the IMH after the first incident and had forgotten to take his medicine on the morning of his second offence, causing him to have the urge to touch young children.

District Judge May Mesenas has called for probation and reformative training suitability reports. 

The latter is a more severe rehabilitative sentencing option that involves being held in an institution for at least 18 months and up to 30 months. — TODAY