By Joycelyn Wong

LAST May, a female teacher walked into the Criminal Investigation Department to make a police report.

In the report, she accused a student of threatening to kill her and her family members.

It also contained these explosive words: 'The reason why he threatened to kill me is because I had sexual relationship with him on few separate occasions. Currently I wish to break off with him but he refused to let me go.'

And this was how Singapore's first case of a woman having sex with an underaged boy came to light.

At the time of their relationship, the married teacher was 31 and the boy was 15.

Their illicit affair took a nasty turn when she wanted to end it. She felt the boy had become too possessive. She also began to regret having the relationship.

But the boy was upset with her over wanting to end their relationship and for ignoring his calls and SMSes. Hence his alleged threat to harm her and her family.

Resigned

The teacher, a mother of two, has since resigned.

Yesterday, the teacher, now 32, pleaded guilty to one charge of having sex with a boy below the age of 16.

Five similar charges will be taken into consideration when she is sentenced on 23 Feb.

This is the first case of its kind after amendments to the Penal Code last year made it an offence for a woman to have sex with a boy under 16.

The offence carries a jail term of up to 10years, a fine, or both.

The woman cannot be named to protect the identity of the boy.

In all, she had sex with him six times - twice at her flat and four times at a chalet - between March and May last year.

The court heard that she used to teach Chinese and Civic Moral Education at a primary school.

The boy was not her student, but they got to know each other on a school trip to China in 2007. He was then in Primary 6.

She had the handphone numbers of the students who went on the trip. When they returned to Singapore, she SMSed the boy to ask him how he was.

The two began calling and SMSing each other often.

She also guided him on a school project and coached him in Chinese to prepare him for his PSLE.

Over time, she became fond of him. She treated him like a godson and showered him with care and attention.

She also attended his birthday celebration, together with other teachers and students. That day, she hugged him in private for the first time.

The pair became so close that when he went overseas during the December school holidays that year, they talked on the phone almost every day.

The boy started Secondary 1 the following month and they continued to meet. They went window shopping, watched movies and had meals together after school hours.

The two developed intimate feelings for each other and after she questioned the boy on a few occasions, he finally admitted that he had fallen for her.

She then agreed to be his girlfriend.

Sex at chalet

From end-January, the teacher made several bookings at a chalet in Pasir Ris so that they could spend time with each other after school.

She took the boy there and they would get intimate by hugging and kissing.

She also discussed the issue of sex with him. Worried that she would get pregnant, she told the boy to buy condoms.

But he told her that he could not do so as he was underage. Subsequently, she bought the condoms and handed them to him to keep.

They had sex for the first time at the chalet on 10 Mar. They later showered and went home separately. They had sex five more times at the chalet and her flat.

In May, the teacher felt that the boy was getting overly possessive and temperamental. She also began having regrets about the relationship.

When he refused to end the affair, she ignored his calls and SMSes.

Threatened

On 13 May, the boy threatened to kill her and her family members.

She was worried that he would carry out the threat and two days later, she confided in her school counsellor.

The matter was referred to the principal, who, in turn, informed the Ministry of Education (MOE).

MOE directed that the teacher lodge a police report, which she did on 16 May.

The boy was referred to the Institute of Mental Health's Child Guidance Clinic for assessment on 20 May.

A medical report prepared by a psychiatrist stated that he had been emotionally upset after the break-up and that he would benefit from counselling and emotional support.

The teacher, who turned up in court alone yesterday, sobbed quietly in the dock and wiped her eyes with a tissue paper during the proceedings.

Her lawyer, Senior Counsel Sant Singh, said in her mitigation that she had been under a lot of work and family pressure at the time of the offences.

She wanted to end her relationship with the boy after realising that it was inappropriate.

He added that she was guilt-ridden and could not handle the situation on her own, which was why she decided to come clean.

This article was first published in The New Paper on February 10, 2009.