SINGAPORE, June 4 — A 20-year-old man lied to a security guard at a primary school and said that he was visiting a teacher when his intention was to peep at boys using the toilet.
Today, Bryan Tee Jian Peng pleaded guilty to two charges of criminal trespass - one for entering the compound of the primary school in Tampines and another for peeping at a boy in a public toilet at United Square Shopping Mall on a different day.
According to section 441 of the penal code, anyone who lawfully enters the property of another but unlawfully remains there with the intention to intimidate, insult or annoy another is said to commit criminal trespass.
Tee, whose occupation was not stated in court documents, also pleaded guilty to a third charge of stealing a shoe rack with 12 pairs of shoes.
Five other similar charges have been taken into consideration for Tee’s sentencing including criminal trespass at two other primary schools where he is accused of loitering in one school and spying on three primary school pupils relieving themselves in another.
What happened
The court heard on Thursday that Tee had entered a primary school in Tampines slightly after noon on Oct 11 last year.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Phoebe Leau said that Tee chose to do so on a Friday knowing that pupils are released from school earlier on Fridays and that the compound would be less crowded than usual.
She said that Tee lied to the school’s security guard as he knew the security guard would “assume he was an ex-student” given his age and was unlikely to remember the faces of visiting ex-students or closely monitor their movements.
Once he was in, Tee went to the boys’ toilet on the fifth floor and waited for pupils to enter. No pupils entered while Tee was in the toilet.
After hiding in the toilet for an unspecified length of time, he left but was stopped by a teacher near a staircase.
The school then called the police as Tee could not provide a legitimate reason for being at the school, said DPP Leau.
Investigations found that at the time of this offence, Tee was out on bail for other offences including the criminal trespass and theft charges he pleaded guilty to.
DPP Leau said that in July 2018, Tee spotted an 11-year-old boy outside United Square Shopping Mall and decided to follow him to find out where he was attending his tuition classes at.
Tee then developed a habit of waiting for the boy in the mall. Court documents did not state if he saw the boy on other occasions.
However, he was caught in the act on the evening of Aug 23 that year when he followed the boy to a toilet on the fourth floor of the mall.
DPP Leau said that Tee followed the boy in and occupied the cubicle beside his victim.
He then peeped over the cubicle’s wall while covering the lower half of his face.
She said that Tee watched the victim for a short while before the victim spotted his face and shouted: “I can see you ok!”
Tee fled the mall but was caught the next day when he went to the same toilet in the mall.
DPP Leau said the boy and his father recognised Tee and the mall’s security guard were called to help detain him before the police arrived.
Separately, the prosecutor said that Tee had been having issues with his neighbour’s family as he found them unpleasant.
To “teach them a lesson”, on July 20, 2018, Tee stole a shoe rack left outside the family’s home.
The shoe rack had 12 pairs of shoes, valued at S$75 (RM229), which were thrown into the rubbish bin by Tee.
Tee has since made full restitution to his neighbour’s family.
A probation suitability report has been called for Tee and he will return to court on July 16.
The punishment for anyone found guilty of criminal trespass is a jail term of up to three months, or a fine of up to S$1,500 , or both.
Those found guilty of theft are liable to be punished with imprisonment of up to three years or a fine, or both. — TODAY
