Singapore: home-temple founder jailed for assaulting a girl during lessons at his temple residence

Proceedings

1. 2026-01-01 · conviction and sentence

   State Courts of Singapore (Principal District Judge Toh Han Li). Tan Beng Kwee, 63, who had run a home temple since 2007 as its founder and spirit medium, was sentenced in January 2026 to nine years and four months for attempted sexual penetration of a minor under sixteen, sexual penetration of a minor under sixteen, and procuring an indecent act from a young person. The victim, aged fourteen to fifteen, was reached through one-to-one wushu lessons at the temple residence, and the prosecution established that he threatened supernatural punishment to keep her silent.

Documented coercion mechanisms

• one-to-one wushu lessons at the temple residence
• threats of supernatural punishment to enforce silence