Member of Catholic order in Singapore charged for alleged sex acts on young boys

SINGAPORE -  A man was part of a religious order of the Catholic faith when he allegedly committed unlawful sexual acts with at least two teenage boys.

The Straits Times understands he is not a priest. The Singaporean was charged in court on Thursday (Jan 20) with two counts of voluntarily having carnal intercourse against the order of nature.

He was also handed two charges under the Children and Young Persons Act over alleged indecent acts on two boys.

Details about the man and his alleged victims cannot be disclosed due to a gag order.

The gag order also covers the man's designation and appointment and the address of the incident location.

The man is accused of performing a sexual act on a minor in 2005.

On another occasion, he allegedly performed oral sex on a boy between Jan 1, 2005, and Dec 31, 2006. This boy was between 14 and 16 years old then.

In 2007, the man allegedly committed a similar act on another boy, who was between 14 and 15 years old at the time.

The man also allegedly performed another sexual act on a boy between April and December that year.

On Thursday, the man was ordered to be remanded at the Changi Prison Complex Medical Centre for a psychiatric observation. His case has been adjourned to Feb 10.

ST has contacted the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore for comment on the man's case.

If convicted of each count of voluntarily having carnal intercourse against the order of nature, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

For each charge under the Children and Young Persons Act, a first-time offender can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $5,000. A repeat offender can be jailed for up to four years and fined up to $10,000 for each charge.

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