S'pore female teacher, 35, committed sexual acts on female student, 15, on bus & in school toilet, jailed 9 years

A 35-year-old teacher was sentenced to nine years in jail on Oct. 5 for performing several sexual acts on her then-15-year-old female student.

This took place in locations such as the school staff toilet, karaoke room and a public bus.

She pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual penetration of a minor and two charges of sexually exploiting a young person under the age of 16.

Another five charges of sexually exploiting a young person, one charge of sexual grooming and another for sexual communication with a minor were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Both teacher and student cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the identity of the victim.

The prosecution said the accused had been the victim's source of support and advice as she struggled with a difficult home situation, according to court documents seen by Mothership.

"The relationship and the acts that occurred within it was exploitative by virtue of the accused's position in the victim's school and the influence that she had as a 'safe adult' in the victim's life," the prosecutor said.

Family problems

The victim was a Secondary 3 female student, and the woman began teaching her in 2023.

The victim has a history of family problems and struggled with various mental health conditions.

Child Protection Services (CPS) had intervened in her family situation sometime before the offences due to concerns of her parents' use of harsh physical punishment on her.

Her teachers at the time of the offences, including the accused, were aware of her difficulties at home, prosecutors said.

Situationship

In April 2023, the student approached the teacher to seek support and advice on family matters.

The victim texted the accused frequently to tell the latter about her day and to share more about her struggles.

From Oct. 13 to Nov. 21, 2023, the pair started what the victim described as a "situationship" and engaged in a series of sexual encounters.

The first encounter happened in a karaoke room on Oct. 13, 2023.

They eventually both agreed to stop.

But on Oct. 16, the teacher took the student to a female staff toilet after her exam and committed another sexual act.

This continued at other locations such as the upper deck of a double-decker bus and in a private room for movies.

Student reported her

The teacher and student eventually fell out.

On Jan. 16, 2024, the student informed her Child Protection Services-appointed safety adult that she had been sexually assaulted on three occasions.

The school's vice principal later took the student to lodge a police report the next day.

The victim subsequently suffered from adjustment disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

According to an Institute of Mental Health report on Jan. 22, 2025, the victim had then described breaking down in school sometimes as the environment reminded her of the events that happened.

Following the offences, she also suffered from insomnia, had suicidal thoughts, nightmares, flashbacks and recurring thoughts about the offences.

Her academic performance eventually deteriorated.

Lapse in judgment

The defence reportedly said that the teacher was remorseful, pointing to her cooperation with investigations and her guilty plea, according to CNA.

"Her actions were due to a lapse in judgment. This is a scar that will remain with her for the rest of her life," defence lawyer Kalaithasan Karuppaya of Regent Law LLC said.

She has since sought professional help from a psychiatrist. Her husband also gave a testimonial about her as a wife and mother to a four-year-old.

The judge reportedly said that the woman had made "serious errors of judgement" and that her actions crossed professional boundaries.

While he acknowledged the harm caused to the victim, he added that he hoped the woman could apply her "redeeming qualities" for the benefit of her family and the wider community.