A 59-year-old silat instructor in Singapore has been sentenced to five months and five weeks in jail after pleading guilty to molesting a 14-year-old student and engaging in sexual communication with a minor.
The man used a traditional “salam” greeting as a pretext to pull the teenager towards him and kiss her, according to court proceedings reported on Sept. 22. He kissed her forehead over her hijab on two occasions and later kissed her cheek.
The girl began attending silat lessons in November 2024, with the man as her instructor. At the end of one lesson between November and December that year, he asked her to perform the greeting. As she held his hand and brought it towards her forehead, he held onto her hand and pulled her closer before hugging and kissing her forehead.
The same conduct happened again between January and February 2025. On another occasion between January and March, he kissed her cheek.
The court also heard that the instructor contacted the girl through Telegram in February 2025 and used the platform’s disappearing-message function. He asked her whether she wanted to know what men were like and told her she could ask him about sex or anything else. The teenager considered the messages inappropriate and took screenshots of the conversation.
Her mother later discovered the screenshots while looking through her daughter’s phone and alerted police. The instructor was arrested in March 2026.
Two additional molestation charges were taken into consideration during sentencing. The prosecution said the victim was traumatised by the instructor’s actions.
The man’s bail was set at S$20,000 on Sept. 22, and he is expected to begin serving his sentence on Oct. 12.
The case highlights the legal consequences for adults in positions of trust who engage in inappropriate physical or sexual communication with minors, particularly where the adult is also responsible for teaching or supervising the child.
