13-12-2023 (SINGAPORE) In a shocking case that has come to light, a 14-year-old boy impregnated his 15-year-old classmate, leading to a series of events that culminated in the birth of a stillborn child. The incident took a tragic turn when the girl gave birth while on a video call with her boyfriend and subsequently buried the baby in her garden.
The discovery of this distressing situation occurred when the girl’s mother noticed a significant change in her daughter’s behavior and decided to inquire further. Upon questioning, the truth unraveled, leading to legal action being taken against the teenage boy, who is now 18 years old but remains unidentified due to being a minor at the time of the offense. On Wednesday (Dec 13), he pleaded guilty to charges of sexual penetration of a minor and abetting the concealment of the child’s birth by instigating the burial.
It has been revealed that the couple began dating in 2020 when the boy was 14 and the girl was 15. Sexual activities took place at the boy’s residence, as he encountered difficulties in acquiring protection due to his young age, according to the prosecutor.
In January 2021, the girl suspected that she was pregnant and requested the boy to acquire a pregnancy test kit online. After confirming the pregnancy, she chose to keep the news hidden from her family, confiding only in her boyfriend. Together, they embarked on an ill-fated journey of attempting various methods sourced from the internet to terminate the pregnancy, including the purchase of abortion pills by the accused.
With the girl’s consent, the boy resorted to physically assaulting her in an attempt to induce a miscarriage. He punched her stomach and kneed her abdomen, believing it would terminate the pregnancy.
THE TRAGIC BIRTH
On June 10, 2021, the victim experienced labor pains while at home. She immediately contacted her boyfriend via video call to inform him of the impending birth and remained connected with him throughout the process.
Alone in her bedroom, she gave birth to a stillborn son after midnight on June 11. Using a pair of scissors, she cut the umbilical cord. Following the boy’s instructions, she proceeded to dismember the placenta, flushing it away, and burying the fetus.
Initially, the girl wrapped the baby in newspaper and stored it in a cabinet. However, her boyfriend expressed concern over the appropriateness and potential risks of keeping the stillborn child in the house. As a result, two days after the tragic event, the girl buried the body in her home’s garden, where she would occasionally sit to mourn her loss.
The couple eventually ended their relationship in March 2022. A month later, the girl’s mother noticed her daughter’s uncharacteristic silence, prompting her to inquire about the cause. The girl confessed to the entire ordeal, leading to the subsequent involvement of the police, who successfully retrieved the buried remains.
During the court proceedings on Wednesday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Gan Ee Kiat did not object to the request for either a probation suitability report or a reformative training report. Defense lawyers Choo Si Sen and Choo Yean Lin pleaded with the court not to request a reformative training report, citing their client’s impending enlistment in the army in January.
In their written plea for mitigation, the defense lawyers emphasized that their client was a first-time offender, acting impulsively due to his immaturity at the time. They also highlighted the teenager’s commendable academic performance and stable family background.
The accused, in his statements, expressed remorse for his actions and a desire to move forward with his life, as stated by the defense lawyers.
The judge has ordered a probation suitability report, indicating that he will not be requesting a reformative training report at this stage. The accused is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing in January.
The penalties for abetting the concealment of a child’s birth include a maximum prison term of two years, a fine, or both. Additionally, for sexual penetration of a minor, an offender may face a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine, or caning.
