Malaysian gets 30 years jail for sexual assault of boys

Singapore: A 31-year-old Malaysian has been sentenced to 30 years in jail and 24 cane strokes for sexually grooming and assaulting 31 boys over a three year period in Singapore, the worst case of such offences in the city state.

Yap Weng Wah, Malaysian engineer of Chinese origin, on Friday pleaded guilty to 12 charges of sexual abuse of a minor in the court attended by his mother, two younger siblings and aunt.

Another 63 charges of sexual abuse of a minor and one of procuring a child to commit an indecent act will be taken into consideration when he is sentenced at a later date, The Straits Times reported.

Yap had sexually groomed boys between the age of 11 and 15 years after meeting them online. The case came to light when one of the victims lodged a police report in June 2012.

He was arrested in September 2012. Police traced 31 victims from the video footage obtained from his house. Yap has been diagnosed by the Institute of Mental Health with Hebephilia, a sexual preference for early adolescent children generally aged between 11 and 14 years.

"I am really, really sorry towards all the victims and their family. I'm very ashamed of what I have done. I wish I could turn back time to undone the damages (sic) that I've caused," Yap was quoted as saying.