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A 27-year-old Singaporean man has been sentenced to three weeks jail for masturbating near a studio where girls were practicing ballet.

Facing three charges

According to court documents seen by Mothership, Cavell Chua Ke Qin was facing three charges for committing an obscene act in public on three separate occasions: Apr. 11, 2021, Jul. 22, 2021, and Jun. 4, 2022.

Chua went to a studio in the central region of Singapore on each of these occasions and at varying times of the day.

There is a gag order on the studio's details as it may lead to the identification of the victim in the incident.

Today wrote that he had allegedly visited the studio once or twice a week and masturbated there for almost a year before he was caught.

Caught by student on Jul. 22, 2021

The studio had glass walls that allowed passers-by to watch the ongoing ballet practice.

Chua, who works as a foodpanda delivery rider, would watch the ballet and masturbate by touching his penis over and under his pants multiple times.

At around 8:30pm on Jul. 22, 2021, a student who was 17 years old at the time was waiting for her father at an alley in the vicinity of the studio and caught Chua masturbating.

The pair made eye contact briefly, but Chua continued what he was doing.

The girl became uncomfortable, walked away, and left with her father after he arrived.

Interviewed by police on Sep. 8

A police report against Chua was lodged on Aug. 31, after an employee complained to the manager at the studio about an "unknown Chinese male" performing obscene acts.

The manager issued a warning to the studio's staff and students, showing them a photo of him that was captured on surveillance footage.

Chua was subsequently identified as the man and the police interviewed him on Sep. 8, where he admitted that he had been doing this since a few months ago.

According to investigations, he would head down to the studio once or twice a week.

He would be aroused by the students, head opposite the studio, and reach into his pants to masturbate there for about five to 10 minutes.

Pleaded guilty to Jul. 22, 2021 incident

On May 4, Chua pleaded guilty to the charge for the incident on Jul. 22, 2021.

Certified to have "borderline intellectual functioning"

Today quoted Deputy Public Prosecutor Quek Lu Yi saying that Chua felt stressed over not having a girlfriend and committed these acts as a result.

Chua's lawyer, William Ong from Alpha Law, cited a medical report stating that his client had "borderline intellectual functioning" and appealed for a lighter sentence.

Ong added that Chua admitted to his offence right from the beginning.

On top of this, he said that Chua's parents are keeping a close watch on him, and arranging activities such as therapy sessions to keep him occupied and to help him control his urges.

Remorseful for his actions

The prosecutor stated that while Chua did not expose himself when masturbating, he committed the act in the vicinity of a ballet school where the students were mostly teenagers.

The prosecutor sought for Chua to be imprisoned for three to five weeks.

District Judge Marvin Bay took the points that Ong raised into consideration, but noted that Chua was persistent in his offences as he had committed the acts for "almost a year", reported Today.

He also acknowledged that Chua had a mild intellectual disability, was remorseful for his actions, as well as his frustration by "his inability to find a girlfriend".

Sentenced to three weeks' jail

After taking the two other charges into consideration, District Judge Bay sentenced Chua to three weeks' jail.

Those convicted of committing an obscene act in public can be jailed up to three months, or fined, or both.

Top image by ALEXANDRE DINAUT from Unsplash