Ilyas Mohd Yusoff, 24, received eight weeks in prison on 1 September 2025. The external school camp instructor pleaded guilty to making a minor view a sexual image.
The State Courts of Singapore issued a gag order protecting the victim’s identity. Court papers did not name her secondary school or Ilyas’ company.
Instructor Broke Company Rules by Staying in Touch with Student
Ilyas worked as an external camp instructor in March 2023. His company ran a three-day school camp. He was assigned to the victim’s class and interacted with her during activities.
After the camp ended, they followed each other on Instagram. Ilyas knew instructors could not maintain contact with students after camps finished. Company policy prohibited this.
He started conversations with the girl anyway. They continued chatting on Telegram from March to May 2023. Ilyas later asked to add her on Snapchat. He wanted to send images that disappeared after viewing.
The instructor began “sexting” the victim on Snapchat about once a week. He would feel “horny” and initiate contact. Regular conversations would turn sexual.
Ilyas shared his sexual preferences with the girl. He told her he would get “aroused” if she threatened him. He asked her to have sex with him. He knew she was 15 years old.
On 1 May 2023, Ilyas sent the victim a picture of his private parts via Snapchat. Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim told the court Ilyas wanted the victim to blackmail him. He wanted her to threaten leaking the photo. Being blackmailed this way sexually aroused him.
The victim felt disgusted when she saw the photo. She felt uncomfortable. She believed Ilyas was harassing her by continuing to message her on Snapchat and Telegram.
She reported the incident to her school. Police were called in.
Defence Claims Victim Made First Move, Judge Weighs Age and Clean Record
The deputy public prosecutor asked for 12 to 15 weeks in jail. He said the instructor knew the victim’s age fully. He called the contact after camp “sheer inappropriateness.”
Ilyas sexted the victim for an “extended period of time” before sending the explicit photo, the prosecutor added.
Defence lawyer Ashvin Hariharan from Ashvin Law sought six to eight weeks instead. He said Ilyas was awaiting National Service enlistment when he became a facilitator. He was assigned to the victim’s school then.
Mr Hariharan argued there was no abuse of trust. This was not a teacher-student situation. Ilyas worked as an independent contractor with a training consultancy. The company conducted team-building activities for schools.
The defence claimed the victim approached Ilyas on the camp’s last day. She repeatedly asked for his Instagram account details. Ilyas initially refused because company policy prohibited it. The victim found his profile and followed him. He followed her back.
About the sexual messages, Ilyas claimed he only suggested they would have intercourse after the victim turned 16. Mr Hariharan said his client had no intent to harass the victim. He did not object to the fact that she may have felt harassed.
The judge said she was “more inclined” to agree with the defence counsel’s jail term range. She considered Ilyas’ age and clean record. She also noted he had sent a photo instead of a video.
Ilyas had no prior convictions. He faced a maximum penalty of two years in jail, a fine, or both for the charge. Another charge was taken into consideration during sentencing.
