The judge said Kamsari Jumari is a danger to minors, particularly those who share a close relationship of trust with him. - PHOTO: ST FILE
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): After he was released from prison for sexual offences against his niece and granddaughter, a man with a long criminal history provided religious classes at his home while working as a delivery food rider.
Between January and April 2022, Kamsari Jumari sexually exploited a 15-year-old, whose mother had hired him to provide religious teachings to the girl because she often ran away from home.
On Dec 3, Kamsari, who is now 63 years old, was sentenced by the High Court to the maximum term of 20 years’ preventive detention.
With the sentence backdated to his date of remand on April 21, 2022, he will be 80 years old on release, provided he serves the full duration.
Under preventive detention, recalcitrant offenders are incarcerated for long periods for the protection of the public.
An inmate serving preventive detention is not automatically entitled to the usual one-third remission. Instead, he can be eligible to be released on licence after serving two-thirds or five-sixths of his sentence. Release on licence means the inmate must comply with the conditions of his release, and failure to do so will result in re-imprisonment.
Kamsari had pleaded guilty in September to four counts of exploitative sexual penetration of a minor.
Another 11 charges for various sexual offences were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Prosecutors had then urged the High Court to impose the maximum term of 20 years’ preventive detention, pointing to his extensive criminal record, which included convictions for theft, sex crimes and drug-related offences.
In sentencing him on Dec 3, Justice Dedar Singh Gill considered that Kamsari had abused the victim’s trust for his perverted sexual desires, that there was clear premeditation, and his past conviction for sexual offences against minors.
The judge said: “The accused is a danger to minor females, particularly those who share a close relationship of trust with him.”
He handed down a sentence of 20 years’ preventive detention for their safety.
An online check by The Straits Times showed that Kamsari had not registered as a religious teacher under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme.
In 2012, Kamsari was sentenced to eight years’ preventive detention for, among other things, performing obscene acts in full view of his 11-year-old niece and sending a naked photo of himself to his 12-year-old granddaughter.
In late 2021, he got to know the mother of the victim in the current case as they worked as food delivery riders.
In January 2022, the victim ran away from home but was found by the police a few days later.
When her mother told Kamsari about this, he suggested that the victim attend his religious classes.
The mother took up his suggestion and engaged Kamsari to provide religious teachings to the victim and her three younger siblings.
Between January and April 2022, the mother paid him about $500 for the lessons, which were held at his flat twice a week.
During one session, Kamsari called the victim into a bedroom. While her siblings were in the living room, he showed her a pornographic video on his mobile phone.
Following this incident, he began to have sexually explicit conversations with her.
During another lesson, he called her into a bedroom and showed her a pornographic video while he touched her under her skirt.
He told the teen not to tell anyone about the fondling and, over time, the sexual acts became increasingly intrusive.
In March 2022, the victim ran away from home and stopped attending his classes.
About a month later, after he learnt that the girl had returned home, he got her mobile number from her mother.
He contacted the victim on Telegram as he knew he could unilaterally delete the messages, and suggested that they use the app to communicate as it was a “more private” platform.
After ascertaining that the victim’s mother did not check her messages, he resumed his sexually explicit conversations with her.
He later took her to an empty flat, where he engaged in sexual activities with the victim. The flat belonged to a volunteer of a charity, who had allowed him to stay there in 2021.
The offences came to light on April 17, 2022, when the girl’s mother found the messages on her phone.
The woman took the girl to lodge a police report on the same day. Kamsari was arrested two days later. - The Straits Times/ANN
