A 23-year-old man who provided an illegal carpooling service was arrested for allegedly molesting a 14-year-old teenager after she requested a ride via the SG Hitch group on Telegram.

Malaysian Fong Tong Zjin, who pleaded guilty to a molestation charge, was sentenced to 14 months' jail and three strokes of the cane on Jul. 3.

He was also fined S$1,800 for offences including using the car as a public service vehicle without the required licences.

What happened

Asked victim to sit in front

According to court documents seen by Mothership, on Nov. 25, 2023, the victim sent a message on the SG Hitch group, looking for a ride from a block in Yishun Ring Road to the Primz Bizhub building in Woodlands Close.

Fong responded to her request and they agreed on the price of S$8 for his service.

He arrived at the pickup location around 20 minutes later in a BMW.

The car was registered to Fong's girlfriend's brother. However, Fong was the main user of the car and was responsible for financing it.

When the victim was about to get in via the back door of the car, Fong told her to open the front passenger seat door and sit beside him.

The victim subsequently agreed and sat in the front seat.

Held victim's hand

When Fong was driving the car, he then asked to hold the victim's hand.

“When the victim did not respond, the accused used his left hand to hold onto the victim’s right hand, with their fingers intertwined," Deputy Public Prosecutor Yap Jia Jun said.

“He also rubbed her palm with his thumb, and commented that her hand was smooth. The victim did not resist. This lasted three to five minutes," Yap added.

Touched victim's hand

Fong also touched the victim's cheek and pinched it lightly, before going back to holding her hand.

He then groped the victim's chest, and put his hand into her shorts and touched her private parts.

Fong also took her hand and placed it into his pants, causing her to touch his genitals.

"The more the victim tried to push the accused’s hand away, the more he touched her," Yap said.

Fearing for her life if she jumped out of the car, the victim remained in the car and asked him to drive faster.

Fong dropped the victim off at her destination and proceeded to delete the Telegram chat he had with her.

The police received a report on Nov. 25, 2023 at around 7:35pm. He was arrested the next day.

Informal car-pooling services considered illegal: LTA

Car-pooling arrangements matched through informal non-business mediums or chat groups are considered illegal in Singapore, according to an Land Transport Authority (LTA) spokesperson.

Motorcycles, regardless of the booking platform, are also not legally permitted to be used to convey passengers for hire and reward due to safety risks.

"LTA takes a serious view of such unlawful practices and will not hesitate to take enforcement action against those providing illegal car- and motorcycle-pooling services."

Between 2020 and 2023, 15 drivers have been caught providing illegal car-pooling or motorcycle-pooling services, LTA said.

Of these, 12 drivers have been charged in court and convicted. They received fines ranging from S$1,200 to S$1,800, and were disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for 12 months.

The other three drivers have yet to be sentenced.

A person who is guilty of providing illegal car-pooling matching services in the course of business can be fined up to S$10,000, be imprisoned for up to 6 months, or both.

An individual who provides an illegal car-pooling service using an unlicensed vehicle can be fined up to S$3,000, imprisoned for up to 6 months, or both.

Additionally, individuals who are found to have provided illegal car-pooling services without a valid vocational licence can receive a fine of up to S$1,000, jailed for up to 3 months, or both, in the case of a first-time offender.

The LTA strongly encourages those who wish to book car-pooling services, to do so via licensed or permitted licence-exempt business platforms for their own safety.

The operators of these platforms would maintain a record of the driver and trip in the event of an incident or dispute.

Operators would also be required to verify the validity of drivers’ licences and enforce a maximum of two car-pool journeys a day at cost recovery.

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Top photo via Hareez Hussaini/Unsplash