Singapore jails molester postman

2011-10-26 10:12

Singapore - A Singaporean postman who sexually abused 52 young girls over a 20-year period has been jailed in the city-state's worst recorded case of serial molesting, police and press reports said on Wednesday.

Abdul Razak Hamid, a 53-year-old father of three, was sentenced on Tuesday to 16 years in jail after being charged with 75 instances of restraining and molesting girls aged five to 11 years since 1991, a police spokesperson said.

The Straits Times said Razak lured some of his victims during his rounds by asking them to help retrieve items from letter boxes in exchange for treats like coins and ice cream, and then took them to secluded spots to molest them.

Razak surrendered to police in April after seeing footage of himself on TV in a news clip released by investigators appealing for help in tracking him down, the newspaper said.

He pleaded guilty to 12 counts of wrongful restraint and 63 other charges involving molesting young girls were taken into consideration when he was sentenced, the report added.

Razak, however, escaped judicial caning because convicts above 50 are spared from the punishment, which is often applied to serious sex offenders.

- AFP