SINGAPORE — The police officers who questioned Benjamin Lim on an alleged molestation said they took steps to be sensitive to the 14-year-old’s emotions, making sure that they held discussions among themselves out of his earshot, for instance.

Although they later told the schoolboy that he would be placed under arrest for molesting an 11-year-old girl, the officers used code words to communicate with each other about making the arrest report.

Details of how Benjamin confessed to the act after being given a 20-minute break also surfaced as his statement was read in court on Wednesday (May 18), the second day of the Coroner’s Inquiry into the schoolboy’s death.

On Jan 26, five police officers travelling in unmarked cars and dressed in civilian attire turned up at Benjamin’s school. The court heard that after Benjamin told Inspector Poh Wee Teck that he had accidentally touched the girl the day before, the inspector excused himself to update his colleague. Inspector Poh was then told to take the teen back to Ang Mo Kio police division for investigations.

At the station, Station Inspector Andy Sun handed Benjamin to Senior Station Inspector (SSI) Mohammad Fareed Rahmat, deputy officer-in-charge of the Violence Against Persons Squad, and briefed him on Benjamin’s account of the incident.

Benjamin was out of earshot during this briefing, said SSI Fareed. Inviting the teen to have a seat at his desk in the open-plan office, SSI Fareed began asking preliminary questions about his family, school and address, before launching into the interview proper.

Midway through, SSI Fareed realised that Benjamin was lying when he said he had mistaken the girl’s public housing block for his own. But Benjamin also told the officer that he had pressed the button to the 13th floor of the block when, in fact, he lived on the 14th floor of another block. 

The teen was then given a 20-minute break to “collect his thoughts”, after which he became “calm” and “more receptive”, SSI Fareed said. 

In response to a question by the family’s lawyer, Mr Choo Zheng Xi, on how he communicated this lack of truthfulness to Benjamin, SSI Fareed said: “I told him (that) generally the purpose of investigation is to find out the truth ... I did not say specifically that (he) did not tell the truth.”

The statement that Benjamin had recorded and signed was produced in court on Wednesday. He confessed that he had been walking home from school on Jan 25, when he saw the girl at a bus stop. 

He did not bother with her at first, and decided to take a new route home through a sheltered walkway. 

The girl walked ahead, and turned to look at him twice. Finding her cute, he felt a sudden urge to touch her. Seeing her waiting at the lift lobby of a block, he decided to enter the lift with her.

“Inside the lift ... I then came up with a plan to drop the phone in front of her, so that I could touch her,” Benjamin stated, adding that he felt sexually aroused by the touch. 

“I used my right hand to touch her left back thigh ... I then said, ‘Sorry’ to her,” said Benjamin. The girl did not reply. 

The teen said he regretted his actions but maintained that he never touched her left buttock, as claimed by the girl. 

After recording the statement, SSI Fareed told Benjamin that he was being placed under arrest for molest, and his parents would be called to post bail. 

“He looked fine to me. Calm,” said SSI Fareed.

State Coroner Marvin Bay asked if young suspects were generally given a step-by-step explanation of the investigation procedure. 

In response, SSI Fareed said: “I explained to him investigations take some time because we need to examine certain facts. While investigation is ongoing, he’ll be released on bail.”

He did not tell Benjamin the possible outcomes, and later brought another colleague over to lodge an arrest report.

When asked how the filing of the report was communicated, SSI Fareed said: “I used some code word to speak to her. I said, ‘Can you assist me in making the alpha report?’” 

Benjamin was later taken to the charge office, where he was told that he could have meals, water, toiletries and medical treatment. 

“He was also told he could make phone calls or speak to a lawyer with the police’s permission,” said State Counsel Wong Woon Kwong in his summary of the Coroner’s Inquiry.