SINGAPORE — When a teacher heard that his student was engaging in self-harm to cope with stress, he suggested that the student sexually stimulate himself instead.

The teacher, who was employed at one of Singapore's top schools, showed the then 17-year-old boy pornographic videos.

On Wednesday, the 49-year-old man pleaded guilty to one charge of showing sexual videos to the teen. The teacher and the victim, who is now 19, cannot be named due to a gag order.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Yvonne Poon said the teacher had taught for over 22 years and was the boy's civics tutor and form teacher at the time of the offence.

On Jan 28, 2021, the victim's mother e-mailed the accused and told him that her son had thoughts of skipping school as he felt ostracised and had no purpose in life.

The teacher then called the mother and said he had been intending to speak to her son as he was falling behind on his schoolwork. He also said he would find the right time to talk to him.

On the same day, he took the boy aside after class. The boy told the teacher he had been having negative thoughts and that he had engaged in self-harm to cope with his emotions.

After they talked for an hour, the teacher gave his personal telephone number to the boy and asked him to save it under a different name as their conversation was "not exactly legit".

He told the boy to contact him if he needed someone to talk to, or if he had thoughts of self-harm.

When the boy returned home that day, he told his mother that his teacher had spoken to him and expressed his surprise and gratitude that an adult could understand him so well. 

On Feb 2, the teacher gave the boy a self-help book and asked him why he needed to self-harm.

When the boy said he needed a coping mechanism for his emotions, the teacher said, "males of this age have only two ways to de-stress: medication and [stimulating oneself]".

The boy felt uncomfortable, but the accused pressed on, asking if he had watched pornography, and showed the boy links to pornographic websites on his mobile phone and clicked on one of the links.

On Feb 6, the pair met for dinner at the teacher's house. Before eating, the teacher said the weather was hot and asked the victim if he wanted to remove his T-shirt and offered him a singlet. As he changed, his teacher watched him.

The teacher spoke about his sexual experiences during dinner and kept pressuring the boy to drink alcohol.

DPP Poon said: "The accused drank more than the victim, and began to cry. He placed his hands on the victim's arm and chest, moving them around for about 10 minutes."

The teacher then showed the boy three pornographic videos on his mobile phone.

The next day, the boy told his mother what his teacher had done. The school authorities were informed, and a police report was filed.

The accused resigned from his job in February 2021.

Seeking three months' jail, DPP Poon said the teacher had lulled the victim into a false sense of safety and ease before finally committing the offence.

"He cultivated his friendship with the victim, starting out innocuously enough before engaging in increasingly inappropriate conversations.

"These conversations initially revolved around the victim's troubles before swiftly evolving into a vehicle for the accused to talk about pornography," she said.

Defence lawyer Tan Kah Tian sought two weeks' jail or a short detention order for his client, stating that this was his first brush with the law.

"He acted completely out of character. He taught over 100 students and this was the only case in which an offence was committed. It is very unlikely he will reoffend, given that he has left the education industry," he said.

The accused is expected to return to court for sentencing on March 28.

Those found guilty of this offence can be jailed for up to a year, or fined, or both.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.