Man, 30, repeatedly molested boy, 12, with autism at Yishun Swimming Complex, jailed 10 months

A 30-year-old man was sentenced to 10 months and 2 weeks' imprisonment on Thursday (Dec. 4) for repeatedly molesting a 12-year-old boy with autism at Yishun Swimming Complex.

The offender, Ang Zhi Wei, admitted to touching the boy’s buttocks multiple times over his shorts in February 2025, acts which were captured on CCTV cameras at the facility.

The incident

According to court documents seen by Mothership, Ang spotted the victim walking alone towards the vending machines next to the male toilet between 4:03 to 4:05pm on Feb. 25, 2025.

CCTV footage captured Ang following the victim.

Ang first checked whether anyone was around before swiping his right hand across the boy’s buttocks as he walked past him.

He then stopped further in front of the vending machine, paused, and walked back to where the victim was.

After observing the child for some time, Ang asked the victim if he needed help, looked around again, and used his left hand to touch the boy’s buttocks for about five seconds.

A few seconds later, he touched the boy’s buttocks a third time for another five seconds.

The victim then walked away.

A few minutes later, the victim came back to the vending machine with his mother. Ang approached from behind and observed them, but made no further advances.

Police alerted

A lifeguard on duty, Oh Kai Jie, witnessed Ang’s actions and reported the matter to his supervisor.

After reviewing the CCTV footage, he called the police at 5:03pm and detained the accused until officers arrived.

The 12-year-old victim, who has autism, was substantially unable to protect himself and was unable to express himself when interviewed by police.

He later conveyed to a counsellor, through drawings, that he had felt scared and confused about the incident.

Ang admitted that he thought that the boy had "low IQ" and was a “special needs” child, and that he touched the victim because he thought the boy was “handsome”.

Court documents showed that Ang was arrested on Oct. 28 and was released on bail on the same day.

The sentence

The prosecution initially sought a sentence of 9.5 to 12.5 months’ imprisonment, highlighting the harm caused to the victim and Ang’s exploitation of his mental infirmity.

They added that Ang demonstrated some degree of premeditation by looking around to confirm that nobody was around and going back to approach the boy repeatedly after the first touch.

The court ultimately sentenced Ang to 10 months and two weeks' imprisonment.

Under the Penal Code, aggravated outrage of modesty carries up to 10 years’ jail, a fine, caning, or any combination of these.

Top images from Google maps, Mothership