S'porean swim coach molests girl, 10, repeatedly during classes, gets 2 years' jail & caning

A former swimming coach has been handed a jail term and caning after he molested his 10-year-old female student three times in a month.

49-year-old Quek Yeong Kang, who also went by Alex, was sentenced to two years' jail and three strokes of the cane after he claimed trial to three charges of molestation.

He alleged that the victim had complained about him so that she could change coaches.

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan convicted Quek of the three charges, rejecting his evidence, "including his denial of the charges and his bare assertion that the victim had fabricated the allegations against him".

There is a gag order on the girl's identity.

Molested girl on 3 separate occasions

According to the judgment seen by Mothership, Quek had been a swimming coach for about 20 years, from 2003 to 2023.

The victim, who was about to turn 13 at the time of the trial, testified that her first class with Quek was on Oct. 7, 2023.

The victim attended Quek's classes on Saturday evenings alongside her sister, her brother and six other students.

The molestations occurred in subsequent classes on Oct. 14, Oct. 21 and Oct. 28, 2023.

She said she had swum a couple of laps on Oct. 14 and was standing in the water when Quek came up behind her and touched her vagina.

She initially thought it was an accident but said it kept going on for two or three separate occasions.

She used two dolls to demonstrate Quek's actions and said he repeated the molests on Oct. 21.

The victim noted that she felt uncomfortable and said Quek had molested her two or three times in the class.

Confided in sister

On Oct. 28, Quek molested her three to four times in the same manner.

During the class, the victim asked her sister if Quek had ever touched her privates, and her sister confirmed that he had.

After the class, as the siblings were walking out of the swimming complex, the victim told her elder brother that Quek had touched her and their sister.

Victim told father

On Oct. 29, 2023, at around 8:50pm to 9pm, the victim told her father that Quek had been touching her and her sister.

The children's father informed his wife before he called Quek's co-coach, telling him what had happened and requesting Quek's number from him.

The father called Quek on the speakerphone and questioned him.

The victim's mother, who was present for the call, said that Quek could not answer and was stuttering.

The victim's father made a police report that night at around 9:17pm through a "999" phone call.

CCTV footage

The victim was shown CCTV footage from all three dates and pointed out parts where she thought Quek had molested her.

The victim was also asked if she had not enjoyed Quek's classes and had wanted to change coaches.

She said she wanted to switch to Quek's co-coach but denied that her motive for making the complaint was to change coaches and that it was the touching that made her disclose the offences.

Her younger sister, who was 11 years old at the time of the trial and nine at the time of the alleged offences, also testified and said Quek had touched her while she was floating in the pool.

Tickled students

Statements were also given to the police by four other students from the swimming class.

While they confirmed that  they had not been touched inappropriately, three of them noted that Quek had tickled students during lessons.

The first student said the accused had tickled his and his brother's feet but found it unusual as Quek pressed his feet.

The second student remarked that Quek had tickled other students and found it unusual, stating that he felt "only family members should tickle others in such a manner".

The third student noted that Quek would tickle him and his sister on the stomach after their laps and that it would last a few seconds.

The student said Quek would do this to others in the class and added that Quek's co-coach never did that.

Fellow coach testified

Quek's fellow coach testified that coaches should only hold students' hands or arms above water level when demonstrating strokes so that it was visible to parents and other students.

He acknowledged that when teaching strokes such as the front crawl, a coach's hands would necessarily go underwater but maintained that unnecessary physical contact under the water should be avoided as it could give rise to complaints.

He said in the 13 years he had known Quek, he had never received any complaints from parents or students about him and had never personally observed the accused behaving inappropriately towards any student.

Quek testified that molest was 'almost impossible' given the height difference

Quek maintained he had not touched the victim and said it was "almost impossible" for him to do so given their height difference and the way he taught her the freestyle stroke.

He testified that he would avoid touching the "main body" of a student but admitted to tickling the students at the waist or belly button area as a form of discipline.

The prosecution also showed him CCTV footage and put forth that he had touched the victim's buttock in one clip.

Quek initially denied this but later conceded that he made contact, elaborating that he was rushing the victim to put on her goggles quicker.

Judge rejected defence's submission

Tan noted that while the CCTV footage did not show Quek molesting the victim, this was unsurprising as the alleged acts happened briefly and underwater.

Tan added that the footage had considerable evidential value nonetheless as it confirmed the physical setting that the victim described and showed Quek making physical contact for which he lacked credible coaching justification.

Court documents noted that the footage also captured the victim's reactions, including kicking Quek away in the incident on Oct. 21, 2023, consistent with her growing discomfort.

Tan added that the victim was unusually convincing, with clear, consistent and compelling evidence.

The victim also candidly testified that she did not want to accuse when she was unsure.

The judge also noted that when Quek's co-coach asked him about the allegations, Quek responded with "I don't know" despite clearly denying the allegations to the victim's father moments earlier.

Judge said accused had no remorse

Tan said that while Quek had no prior convictions, he had shown no remorse throughout the proceedings and put the victim through the ordeal of testifying in court.

Tan added that while Quek had several health conditions including heart disease and diabetes, it did not warrant a reduction in his sentence or the exercise of judicial mercy.

The victim suffered psychological harm as a result of Quek's conduct and was diagnosed with adjustment disorder.

According to court documents, "she experienced fear, anger, insomnia, nightmares, recurrent intrusive thoughts, fear of males, being easily startled, and difficulty focusing in class".