A spiritual medium who sexually assaulted a teenage girl under the pretext of giving her private wushu lessons has been sentenced to nine years and four months’ imprisonment in Singapore. Tan Beng Kwee, 63, was convicted on three charges, including sexual penetration of a minor under 16.
The offences occurred between 2013 and 2015, when the victim was aged 14 to 15. Tan, the founder of a home temple in Ang Mo Kio, had instructed the girl to learn wushu from him during a spiritual session. He subsequently conducted one-on-one lessons at the temple’s living room, using the time to also teach about zodiac signs and talismans.
The prosecution detailed how Tan isolated the victim, ensuring no one else was present. The assaults began during the initial lessons. He led her to a bedroom, claiming he felt hot, and sexually assaulted her despite her clear reluctance and expressions of pain. He coercively threatened that she or her family would face divine punishment if she refused. After the assaults, he warned her to remain silent or “something would happen to her family.”
Fearing supernatural retribution, the victim continued the lessons for nearly two years. The prosecution argued Tan had “orchestrated” the crimes by using his religious authority to isolate her, showing her pornography to desensitize her, and invoking threats to ensure her silence. Police later seized objects resembling private parts and sex toys from his residence.
The victim finally made a police report in January 2021. Tan claimed trial, denying the assaults and alleging the lessons started when the victim was 16. He also claimed his girlfriend was sometimes present. Principal District Judge Toh Han Li dismissed his defence as a “bare denial,” convicting him on all charges.
In sentencing, Judge Toh emphasized Tan’s “grave” abuse of trust, noting the victim saw him as a spiritual guide and father figure. The judge found the one-to-one lessons were a premeditated setting for abuse. The court also considered the severe psychological impact on the victim, who suffers from major depressive disorder, panic disorder, and enduring trauma described as a “scar in her heart.”
While Tan was not penalized for claiming trial, Judge Toh noted it forced the victim to endure the ordeal of testifying. Tan faced up to 10 years’ jail for the most serious charge. His sentence of nine years and four months reflects the severity of breaching a sacred position of trust to exploit a vulnerable young follower.
