Singaporean man, 72, jailed for molesting boys on public transport

Ambrose Lee, 72, pleaded guilty for "saying words intended to insult the modesty of a person" and "outrage of modesty", The Straits Times reported. He was sentenced to three weeks in jail.

Lee had molested an 18-year-old boy on a bus on May 17, 2023, a Singaporean court heard. Lee sat beside the boy on the bus before making small talks with him. He then asked if the boy wanted a massage, and squeezed the boy's thighs with his hands.

The boy tried to move out of the seat. Lee then held the boy's waist with his hand, surveillance camera footage on the bus revealed. The boy then filed a police report about the incident.

In another separate incident, while Lee was on a train between the City Hall and Ang Mo Kio MRT stations on May 20, 2023, he asked a 15-year-old boy if he had reached puberty yet, before touching the boy’s thighs with his finger.

Lee’s lawyer, James Gomez Jovian Messiah, said Lee is married with a daughter, and that his wife and relatives had given their support to ensure Lee’s rehabilitation.

On social media, people said the three-week long jail sentence was too lenient for such a crime.

"Three weeks is an incentive, not a deterrent," an Instagram user named dcarpet83 commented on a post about the incident.

"Why is the law so lenient? After 3 weeks he will do again," wrote another user named melnesh1973.