Elderly man who trapped girl, 12, in toilet and asked if she knew how to perform sex act gets jail

Shaffiq Alkhatib
The Straits Times
April 15, 2024

An elderly cleaner was at his workplace when he blocked a 12-year-old girl from leaving a toilet and asked her in Mandarin if she knew how to perform a sexual act.

The girl did not understand what Huang Youcai, 79, was saying and he subsequently allowed her to leave.

On April 15, Huang was sentenced to two months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to an offence under the Children and Young Persons Act.

Shortly before 8.20pm on Feb 1, 2023, the girl went to Senja-Cashew Community Club in Bukit Panjang and asked Huang, who was employed there, where she could find the toilet.

He led her to the second floor and told her to use the handicapped toilet. After she went in, Huang waited outside for her.

When she was about to leave, Huang blocked her way by standing at the doorway of the toilet.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Yap Jia Jun said: “He used his left hand to hold the door in place. He then entered the handicapped toilet, causing the victim to back into the toilet, and closed the door behind him.”

Huang then held the girl’s left forearm with his right hand and asked if she knew how to perform a sexual act.

DPP Yap added: “Throughout this interaction, the accused used his left hand to hold the toilet door in place... When she reached out to open the toilet door, the accused held on to her left hand.”

After about two minutes, Huang opened the toilet door and the girl, who was uncomfortable with his actions, walked away.

Her mother later found out about the incident and alerted the police on Feb 3, 2023.