A former Sydney Sikh temple worker has pleaded guilty to two counts of intentional sexual act with a child older than 10 and younger than 16 and one count of stalking/intimidation with intent to create fear and causing physical harm.
Rajinder Singh, a former priest at a Gurdwara in Greater Sydney who was arrested in December last year for trying to get underage girls to kiss him and entering a female bathroom and touching an 11-year-old girl, recently pleaded guilty at the Penrith local court.
Twenty-six-year-old Singh was charged with sexually touching an 11-year-old girl and performing a sex act in front of two teens in Sydney’s west.
According to reports, two girls aged 13 and 14, were at Tench Reserve in Jamisontown when Singh approached the and allegedly carried out a sexual act in front of them.
“Court documents state Singh said, “kiss kiss” and pointed to his lips a number of times, in an interaction filmed by the victims, before placing his foot where the girls were sitting and again rubbing his groin area,” the Penrith Press reported.
Singh was arrested and taken to Penrith police station where he admitted to his actions during the interview.
“He made full admissions to touching his groin area stating he was attracted to them and agreeing he had asked them for a kiss” saying he was “horny” at the time, the police facts state,” reads the report.
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Singh’s lawyer told the court it was the first time his client had been arrested.
The Sikh Temple has already terminated Singh’s services as a priest.
“We are really, really disappointed with (Singh’s) actions and it is not condoned. The whole community does not condone this act and his actions don’t have any place in Sikhism. We strongly condemn his behaviour and this very shameful action. His behaviour is not accepted by us, and we will not tolerate this type of behaviour from anyone in our community,” a temple’s spokesperson was quoted as saying.
The court will hear the matter in April again.
