Prison officer jailed 27 months for molesting inmate

(Photo: Yahoo Newsroom)

A Singapore Prison Service (SPS) officer has been jailed 27 months for repeatedly molesting an inmate.

Mohamed Faris Osman, 47, had abused his victim, a 20-year-old Chinese national who was serving a seven-month jail term, repeatedly at Admiralty West Prison between July 2015 and October 2015, media reports said.

Faris’ actions included groping the victim’s buttocks and touching his private parts. On two occasions he had even asked the victim, “Officer sayang (love in Malay) you, why you no sayang officer?”

The victim said he kept quiet about the abuse out of fear of possible repercussions. The matter was only brought to light when another prison officer noticed the victim appearing depressed.

The victim had been part of a group of prisoners assigned to do cleaning and maintenance work at the prison, with Faris as their only guard. The victim also said that he had heard of other inmates being sexually harassed.

Faris, a married father of three, had served in the SPS for 27 years and held the rank of sergeant. He was suspended from his post after being charged.

District Judge May Mesenas, who passed the sentence, slammed Faris for abusing his position of authority and for going against the SPS’ values – as commonly reflected in the organisation’s tagline “Captains Of Lives”.

“On the contrary, his numerous acts of molest on an inmate, ironically and regrettably, destroyed the life of the very inmate he was meant to help rehabilitate,” she said, according to a Straits Times report.