If one is worried about the shame of being seen to leaving with the Police, then don’t ever strayed on the wrong side of the law. Is it more shameful to molest or to be seen with Policemen (be it 3 or 5)?


Strictly speaking, 2 crimes have been committed, outrage of modesty is one criminal offense and suicide is yet another offense (under section 309 of Singapore’s Penal Code).

janet88:

Nebbermind:

[quote=\"janet88\"]Cats are more important than this 14 year old?

Strangely MOE hasn't made any public comments on the case. Does this mean case closed?

I think the family would want answers and subsequently a closure. It will be a very long time they will be grieving over the loss of the only son.

What kind of moe statement are you expecting?
:scratchhead:

for the principal to let the 14 year old go off with the police just like that.
i still feel very heartache.[/quote]Aiyo, it's the Singapore Police Force we are talking about here not some evil cult! The last I check, we can still approach the men in blue when we are lost or need help.

harvardalum:

Justice_justin:

...The open letter is totally biased under the pretense of providing their side of the story. Easy to blame everyone and find fault everywhere (and even gave undue emphasis to the cold bun), but they were silent on their own shortcomings as parents and boy's upbringing.

I would love, to be directed to parents who have virtually no shortcomings raising their children. Any. I sure would love some tips from them. And also be \"introduced\" to any parents whom because of their supposed \"shortcomings\", not speak or lash out, in any way, shape or form, even if it's from sheer grief, at the face of death, death of their child.

Precisely because all parents have shortcomings, that is why, they should look to themselves to reflect before hitting out at easy targets like the school and Police (which won't retaliate).

There are on average around 90 youth suicides a year in Singapore and how often do we hear of parents hogging the limelight to vent their grief when such a tragic event strikes? As the leading causes for youth suicide are family problems, depression and BGR with the lack of emotional support from family and friends often cited as a factor leading to suicidal thoughts among youths. It was also found that the leading trigger usually came from a close family member be it due to a quarrel or exchange of heated words. The suicide of the boy in this case is tragic but it may have its root causes elsewhere and the Police interview is only a red herring.

SpartanMum:

A child died. A mother and father lost their child. A sister lost her brother.


And there are comments in this forum dissecting the finesse of the open letter...maybe even implicating that the family is trying to gain something from this?

I am beginning to suspect some of the comments on this forum are not from parents at all. Because a real parent would feel nothing but profound sadness and a deep sense of loss for this family.

I feel sad too...for the deceased boy who can't rest in peace due to his parents who because of guilt, grief and anger chose to lash out at the school and Police instead of treasuring the memories of the boy in private. It is an open letter and I reckon the family should be prepared for folks to continue speculating about the case again.

It is indeed tragic that the boy committed suicide but lest anyone forget, the school is a publicly funded institution and needs to comply with the laws of the land. Moreover, the boy was handed to Singapore Police Force and not the Gestapo or gangsters. Otherwise, the school will end up as a sanctuary for teenage rapists and molestors.

The open letter is totally biased under the pretense of providing their side of the story. Easy to blame everyone and find fault everywhere (and even gave undue emphasis to the cold bun), but they were silent on their own shortcomings as parents and boy's upbringing.

jetsetter:

[quote]Police Statement on Death of 14-Year-Old Male Student Under Investigation for Outrage of Modesty


In this case, a Police report was lodged about a molestation. Based on CCTV evidence, Police officers went to conduct enquiries at a school. To keep investigations discreet, the officers went in plainclothes and in unmarked cars. After discussions with the school officials, and the viewing of the CCTV records, Benjamin was identified as the boy in the CCTV records. He was brought to the Principal’s office by a school official and was spoken with in the presence of a Police officer. Before he was brought back to Ang Mo Kio Division, he contacted his mother to inform her of the Police’s investigations. The Police officer also spoke to the mother.

While at Ang Mo Kio Division, he was interviewed by one Investigation Officer at his workstation in an open plan office with other workstations. He was fully cooperative during the interview. He was then released on bail and went back with his mother.

The Police have been asked whether it should review the procedure to allow an appropriate adult to be present when a young person is interviewed. The Police will review and address this issue.

Police investigations have not been completed. A Coroner’s Inquiry will be held upon the conclusion of investigations, where all the relevant facts will be presented to the State Coroner. At the inquiry, the family will also be able to raise all questions that they may have.

Benjamin’s passing was tragic. The Police have expressed their deepest condolences to the family. They have met the family to address their questions on the case and provide clarifications on the actions of the Police officers during their interaction with Benjamin.

[/quote]From the statement, it would appear that Police handled the matter with discretion and sensitivity. Before they left the school, the mother was already informed and even had a chance to talk to her son over the phone. The boy was not subject to physical abuse or psychological torment as the interview was conducted in an open office environment with other workstations. Neither did the mother complain about signs of abuse when she went to fetch him, which should put to rest all the speculation by some forummers here.

octoberbaby:

The girl and the boy know each other. It is not molest in mrt or bus. Definitely the public wants to know how the police handled. It is normal the eyes are on the girl now, as she was the last person. Cctv can see very clearly meh?

Was it reported that the deceased and the molest victim know each other? I may have missed out on that as I did not recall reading where the molest took place. The block where the deceased stayed or another block nearer to his school?

I pity the girl as the only fault she had was that she looked weak and defenseless for the molestor to strike. Tragic enough that the boy passed away so there is no need to drag the girl through another round of traumatic experience. Being molested is traumatic enough for a girl of her age.

Precious2.lee:

octoberbaby:

Why the boys in the fault? Some girls also bitchy, she thinks she is pretty, taking sexy selfie and post in instagram.

I know what you mean so how to teach the boys not to fall into such \"traps\" when the temptation is there..

At 14, when the hormones are raging, the blood is rushing to the wrong place and the brain may not be able to think correctly. Either take up a sport or DIY 3 times (or more) a day.

Precious2.lee:

Usually when such cases involved a juvenile, it will not be publicized so in a way.

The parents are out of their minds to allow the boy's details to be made public via TOC.

And to demand the release of the CCTV footage to the public? :siao:

If he indeed molest the girl, then his name would be in the Internet forever. Is that the best way to remember him by?

octoberbaby:

Why the boys in the fault? Some girls also bitchy, she thinks she is pretty, taking sexy selfie and post in instagram.

The girl molested is only 11, still in primary school and the boy in question is already in secondary school. While it is a tragedy that the boy committed suicide, let's not forget that the girl is a victim first and foremost.

iRabbit:

Justice_justin:

The police will not take action unless there is substantial evidence. Imagine the public outcry should the police get the wrong molester. Franky speaking, molest case is not something new that the police has never handled before. There will be other corrobative evidence like the boy running away once the lift door opened and the girl walking out crying etc.

As for your 2nd point, we are not aware of the boy's background. Did he have other criminal records like gang fighting, theft or could justify 5 policemen to go down? Imagine if only one policeman were to go down and the boy were to run away, would there be cries of Police incompetency?

The newspaper reported that he was all calm (probably felt relief) after leaving the police station. We do not know whether his parents or sister who were last with him unknowingly used provocative words like shame, lost of face etc that sent him over the edge?

Too many unknowns here and unfortunately, Police is the easy target here.

Too many unknowns, I agree. However, a fact which is undeniable was that that boy commited suicide after the interrogation. That is one too many. Do we want to brush it off as just an unfortunate incident, or do we want to learn from this and progress as a society?

The reason why I've taken a strong interest in this case is that I personally know someone who was interrogated by the police when he was 9 years old. I believe he was made to sign on the statement recorded. I'm not sure if his parents were notified, but even if they were, I doubt it was timely as they wont even near the venue when the interrogation was done. To me, there is something seriously wrong with the procedure on dealing with minors.

We shouldn't be afraid to ask the hard questions.

There are just too many possibilities why the boy jumped. He may even have felt relief after he confessed everything in the police station. Read from somewhere, he came from a broken family. He could be thinking prior jumping why the world was unfair to him and his jumping may not have anything to do with the Police SOP.

The Police SOP could be reviewed and more protection offered to accused teens and young persons. The downside is that more teens could be subsequently engaged in crime. See how the runners of loan sharks are now mainly teens who either spray paint or set fire so as to harass debtors precisely because the penalties are lighter for young people.