SINGAPORE, July 28 — Despite already serving jail time twice for molesting underage girls, Neo Beng Yeow went back to his old ways soon after his release and targeted a 12-year-old Primary 6 student who was on the way home.

On Thursday (July 28), the 56-year-old Singaporean was sentenced to 20 months’ jail for his latest crime last year.

He pleaded guilty to one count of molesting a minor under 14, with another charge taken into consideration for sentencing.

He was first jailed for 15 months in 2017 for kissing and groping a nine-year-old girl at a bus stop in broad daylight. Two years later, he was sentenced to 15 months’ jail again for hugging and kissing a six-year-old girl on her forehead.

All the incidents took place in public, including his latest offence.

The court heard that on the afternoon of July 23 last year, the victim left her school and walked towards a bus stop along Bendemeer Road to meet three friends.

She cannot be named due to a court order to protect her identity.

Neo then approached her while they were near the void deck of a Housing and Development Board block of flats. He asked her if she had just finished her school lessons and if she had eaten.

When she replied "no”, he slid his hand towards her chest and momentarily brushed over it, the court heard.

Shocked by what he had done, the girl fled towards the bus stop and told her friends. One of them took a photograph of Neo with her mobile phone.

The girl began crying at the bus stop and some passers-by stopped to help her out. Soon, their school’s vice-principal approached the group to ask what had happened, before taking them back to the school to wait for the police to arrive.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Heershan Kaur had sought a 20 months’ jail term, saying Neo was well aware of his victims’ ages because they were all in school attire.

"Arguably, there is some escalation in the nature of the outrage of modesty. He went from kissing (the victims) on less intrusive areas to intruding on the private parts of (the current victim),” the prosecutor noted.

She did not seek additional jail time in lieu of caning. Those aged 50 or above cannot be caned under Singapore’s laws.

Neo’s lawyer, Tan Kah Tian, asked for a shorter jail term of 16 months. He argued that Neo did not deceive the girl and had been walking to visit his sister at the time.

The defence counsel said that the current offence was less serious because no kissing was involved.

"Mr Neo... never thought he could have a disorder. He acknowledges his condition and is motivated to change for the better — he is fully willing to seek the necessary treatment and not reoffend again,” Tan added.

He did not elaborate in open court on what this disorder was.

District Judge Christopher Goh told the court that Neo’s past convictions were the single most aggravating factor for sentencing purposes.

On top of his sentence, Neo has to serve 10 more days behind bars for breaching his remission order.

Prisoners who show good conduct are allowed to be released after serving two-thirds of their sentence. They will then be issued with a conditional remission order.

Those convicted of molesting a minor can be jailed for up to five years, fined, caned, or receive any combination of the three punishments. — TODAY