iTODAY: Alleged 'Heartbeat Molester' charged with molesting 27 girls

From iTODAY:Alleged 'Heartbeat Molester' charged with molesting 27 girls

Leong Wee Keat | Nov 12, 2010 6:00

SINGAPORE - The man believed to be the "Heartbeat Molester" was charged in court yesterday with molesting 27 more girls.

Martin Tan Chye Guan (picture), 47, was accused of molesting them between Feb 1, 1999, and Oct 8 this year. The youngest victim was eight, while the oldest was 12, according to court documents.

Tan allegedly molested them at staircase landings in housing estates including Sengkang, Jurong East, Simei and Woodlands.

In Yishun, Tampines, Pasir Ris and Bedok Reservoir, he apparently struck on more than one occasion.

Tan allegedly molested five different girls in Hougang, purportedly twice at the same block. The alleged offences occurred mainly on weekdays between 12.30pm and 4.30pm.

In some instances, he allegedly grabbed the girls' hands and placed them on his private parts.

On Nov 4, Tan was charged with allegedly stroking an 11-year-old girl on her right arm and sliding his fingers beneath her shirt sleeve at a staircase landing in Hougang.

He was arrested two days earlier in his Sengkang home after a member of the public who had seen the published CCTV images of him tipped off the police.

The prosecution, which tendered the new charges yesterday in a district court, sought a two-week adjournment to consult the Attorney-General's Chambers.

Tan, who was wearing a green Tshirt, bowed his head as the fresh charges were read to him. Three of his family members were seen in the public gallery.

A bail of $50,000 was offered to Tan, whose passport has been impounded.

If convicted, he can be jailed for up to five years, and fined and caned for each molest charge. Tan will appear in court on Dec 13. Leong Wee Keat

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