TikTok Predator Sexually Molested A 10-Year-Old Girl In Singapore
The man, aged 51, connected with the child on TikTok, where he pretended to be a 25-year-old. He convinced the primary school student to meet up in real life after school hours and took her to his home.
By Sadho Ram — 13 Sep 2020, 04:37 PM
On 26 February this year, a 10-year-old student in Singapore left school after her class ended and went to Yio Chu Kang MRT Station to meet her TikTok 'friend', who she believed was in 'love' with her
The man, Jambi Arbi, the little girl met at the MRT station was, however, no 'friend'.
He was a 51-year-old predator, who connected with the child on TikTok, the hugely popular video-sharing platform that has become one of the go-to social platforms among Generation Z to even local politicians.
According to a report in CNA, Jambi pretended to be a 25-year-old on the video-sharing platform, that has often been used by paedophiles to hunt for teenagers and children.
The 51-year-old man first met with the 10-year-old primary school student on TikTok in January. From then on, he started chatting with the victim, calling her "dear" and luring her by telling that he loved her.
For almost a month, the Singaporean continued to groom the child.
On 25 February, when the man was sure that he has made a connection with the minor, he convinced her to meet in real life the next afternoon after she finished school. Not suspecting anything, she agreed.
Jambi had promised the little girl that he will take her to a game arcade and treat her to McDonald's.
At the MRT station, Jambi asked the little girl to change out of her school dress to the casual T-shirt that she had brought at his request
He then gave her a pair of sunglasses and told her to wear it before taking her on his motorcycle to Bukit Merah Central McDonald's. There, he bought food for the two of them, then he took her to a game arcade.
Later, Jambi brought the girl to his house, where she used the washroom.
However, while she was inside the washroom, he locked the door and the gate of the flat.
This excerpt in Yahoo News Singapore by reporter Wan Ting Koh details what happened next:
"Between, 3.28pm and 3.45pm, while in the flat, Jambi began touching the girl, ostensibly to massage her and make her more flexible. He molested her and told her that her underwear was cute.
"He touched her genitals claiming that he was helping her gain weight as she was too skinny. He also forced his mouth on the girl's and placed her on his lap where he continued to kiss her.
"The girl felt uncomfortable with the acts. Terrified, the victim told Jambi that she wished to return home. As she wore her socks and shoes to return home, Jambi kissed her mouth again. The duo left the flat at about 3.48pm and Jambi dropped the girl off outside her school. She returned home alone after 4.30pm."
The man was arrested based on a police report lodged by the victim's father, who had seen the messages a night before the incident
The victim's father, however, failed to talk to her as she was asleep.
He sent a message to his daughter's teacher to not allow her to leave the school after the class was dismissed on 26 February. However, when he went to school at 1.30pm, he couldn't find his daughter.
Following which, the father called the police for help to locate her.
"My daughter was last seen at school. She said she had school activities but I called the school and there was no such thing. School ended at 1330hrs and she was nowhere to be found," read a transcript of the father's call.
After the victim returned home later that day, police responded to the case to trace Jambi.
Six months later, on 9 September, Jambi was sentenced to 23 months in jail on one charge of molesting a victim under the age of 14
The 51-year-old pleaded guilty to using criminal force on a minor to outrage her modesty.
Deputy public prosecutor (DPP) R Arvindren told the State Courts of Singapore that Jambi had enticed the girl with food and arcade games, knowing that these were the things a young child liked.
The DPP described the man as a "sexual predator" who acted on his "perverted plan" through social media and "preyed on a young and unsuspecting 10-year-old victim for his sexual gratification".
"The accused was brazen in his actions and executed a well-thought-out plan to get the victim to fall into his trap. He used TikTok to convince the victim to meet him and picked her up right after her school ended," he said, adding that the girl still clearly remembers what happened and is traumatised.
In recent times, there has been increasing concern about paedophiles and predators using TikTok to prey on children and teenagers
According to a 2019 BBC investigation, hundreds of sexually explicit comments have been found on videos posted by children as young as nine on TikTok, which has failed to crack on such accounts.
In the response, TikTok said that it "take escalating actions ranging from restricting certain features up to banning account access, based on the frequency and severity of the reported content".
However, given the largely young user-base of the platform and how social media trends go viral among them, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) issued a public awareness message in July this year.
In the message, PDRM advised parents to monitor their children's activity on TikTok.
These Malaysian organisations aim to help survivors of rape and sexual assault:
1. WOMEN'S AID ORGANISATION (WAO)
Operating hours: 24-hour
Contact: +603-79563488
SMS/WhatsApp: +6018-9888058
Website | Facebook | Twitter
2. ALL WOMEN'S ACTION SOCIETY (AWAM)
Operating hours: Weekdays (9.30am - 4.30pm)
Contact: +603-78770224
WhatsApp: +6016-2284221 | +6016-2374221
Email: [email protected]
Website | Facebook | Twitter
3. WOMEN'S CENTRE FOR CHANGE PENANG (WCC PENANG)
Operating hours: Weekdays (9am - 5pm)
Contact: +604-2280342 | +604-3988340
WhatsApp: +6011-31084001 | +6016-4390698
Email: [email protected]
Website | Facebook | Twitter
4. SARAWAK WOMEN FOR WOMEN SOCIETY (SWWS)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (9am to 5.30pm)
Contact: +6082-422660
SMS/WhatsApp: +6013-8044285
Email: [email protected]
Website | Facebook | Twitter
5. SABAH WOMEN'S ACTION-RESOURCE GROUP (SAWO)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (9am to 2pm)
Contact: +6088-280200
Email: [email protected]
Website | Facebook | Twitter
6. PROTECT AND SAVE THE CHILDREN (PS THE CHILDREN)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (8.30am to 5.30pm)
Contact: +6016-2273065 | +6016-7213065
WhatsApp: +6016-7213065
Email: [email protected]
Website | Facebook | Twitter
