SINGAPORE: A man with a history of sexual offences involving minors befriended a young girl and positioned himself as a “father figure” after learning that she felt neglected by her actual father.
Paul Edison Tan, 42, then encouraged her to be physically close to him and took the opportunity at a cinema hall to molest the then-10-year-old girl.
Tan, who changed his name from Zander Xavier Chan in December last year, was jailed for 21 months on Thursday (Apr 16) and sentenced to three strokes of the cane.
The victim, who is now 12, cannot be named due to a gag order protecting her identity. The gag order extends to the specific circumstances under which she met Tan.
The pair met in November 2024, when the girl confided that she felt neglected by her father, who “never brought her out for leisure” because of his work commitments.
Tan decided to act as a “father figure” to the girl and obtained her contact number.
A few days later, he began asking her out one-on-one.
During their first outing, Tan picked the girl up from her home and took her out for a meal. At his prompting, they fed each other, and at the end of the outing, he drove her home and hugged her goodbye.
On Dec 3, 2024, after she agreed to meet him alone again, Tan took her to a cinema to watch a movie.
The hall was mostly empty, and the pair sat in a section with no one else nearby.
During the movie, Tan placed his hand on her thigh for an “uncomfortable amount of time”, the prosecution said.
He then molested the girl under her clothing. Feeling very uncomfortable, the girl moved away immediately.
He also fed her popcorn and draped his arm across her shoulders for about half an hour during the film.
After the movie ended, Tan gave the girl a necklace, telling her it was “expensive”.
The girl felt disgusted by Tan’s actions but did not confide in anyone at the time as she was embarrassed, the court heard.
Nearly a year later, on Oct 28, 2025, the girl confided in her teacher after attending a school lesson on sexual abuse, including what constituted “good” and “bad” touch.
Her father lodged a police report the same day, and Tan was arrested that night. He initially denied molesting the girl and claimed any contact with her thigh was “accidental” while he was picking up popcorn.
According to court documents, the girl did not suffer from any other adverse psychological effects.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Wayde Chan argued for a jail term of between 20 and 24 months and six strokes of the cane for Tan.
Mr Chan cited Tan’s criminal history as an aggravating factor.
As early as 2015, Tan had admitted to offences including transmitting obscene material involving young children, as well as organising travel and distributing information to promote commercial sex with minors under 18 outside Singapore.
Mr Chan said a “staggering 133 similar charges” were taken into consideration for sentencing at that time.
“The accused is a danger to young children and a menace to society. A lengthy 56-month imprisonment term did not deter him from further offending,” Mr Chan said.
Mr Chan added that Tan had become “more brazen” with his offending.
“The accused’s criminality is utterly reprehensible. The public interest necessitates that the accused receives the strongest disapprobation from the criminal justice system. A substantial uplift is necessary to ensure that the accused does not re-offend and is kept away from society for a significant period of time,” he added.
In mitigation, Tan’s lawyer Teo Choo Kee said his client had taken steps to remain “on the straight and narrow” in the six years prior to the current offence, but ultimately made a mistake.
His client had undergone counselling and is actively seeking help, added Mr Teo.
District Judge Lim Tse Haw noted that there had been some form of grooming of the victim, although it was not sexual in nature.
He said Tan had taken her out for a meal and engaged in acts of affection.
The judge also took Tan’s criminal history into account in sentencing.
An offender convicted of molesting a child under 14 can be jailed for up to five years, and/or fined, and/or caned.