S'porean chef, then 62, sexually assaults girl, 11, in restaurant with others present, gets 8.5 years' jail

A 63-year-old Singaporean chef, Kassim Juhamat, was sentenced on August 26 to eight and a half years in jail for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl at a restaurant. The court documents revealed that Kassim sexually assaulted the girl for about half an hour, facing four charges in total. He pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual assault by penetration, with the other three charges considered during sentencing.

These charges included two counts of molesting the girl and one charge of committing an obscene act with her. At the time of the offence, Kassim, who worked as a chef in the restaurant, was 62 years old and therefore could not be caned. Instead, his jail term includes a six-month sentence in lieu of caning. The victim, who occasionally visited Kassim at the restaurant, became acquainted with him and referred to him as "Uncle Kassim."

On June 27, 2025, the girl entered the restaurant and sat beside Kassim. He then sexually assaulted her by touching her chest and violating her. The girl tried to leave the table and tell someone about the incident, but Kassim held her hand tightly and kissed her. He only released her hand after telling her not to disclose the details to anyone.

The girl reported the incident to the police on June 28, 2025, and the restaurant manager lodged a police report. Kassim was arrested on June 29, 2025, and charged in the State Courts on June 30, 2025.