SINGAPORE - At just 21 years old, he is already the father of two children by different mothers, one of whom he had sex with when she was 15. The other mother was not a minor when she had sex with him and is now 18. The offender had also impregnated a third victim when she was a 12-year-old child but she aborted the foetus. All three were his girlfriends at different times but they are no longer with him, a district court heard. On Friday (Nov 19), the offender was sentenced to undergo reformative training for at least one year. This means that he will be detained in a centre and made to follow a strict regimen that includes foot drills and counselling. The Singaporean youth pleaded guilty on July 13 to four counts of having sex with a minor. He also admitted to one count of assaulting the 18-year-old girl. The offender turned 21 later that month. Seventeen other charges, mainly relating to sexual acts with the underage girls, were considered during sentencing. He committed the offences between 2017 and last year. The three victims cannot be named due to a gag order, while the youth cannot be identified as he was just 16 years old when he started committing the offences. He was in a relationship with the 15-year-old girl from January to August 2017. The girl was a virgin before she met him but the pair later had sex up to three times a month. She discovered she was pregnant in early 2018 and gave birth soon after. The offender got to know the 12-year-old girl through social media platform Instagram in January 2019. They met for the first time at his home on Jan 19 that year and had unprotected sex. The pair then got into a relationship later that day. On April 30, 2019, the girl was found to be about 10 weeks pregnant and had an abortion the following month. Deputy Public Prosecutor Theong Li Han had earlier said: "The production of conception was obtained and sent to the Health Sciences Authority for paternity testing. "The result shows that the probability of paternity towards the accused was 99.9999 per cent." More on this topic Related Story Probation for teen after he impregnated minor who suffered miscarriage Related Story Man gets 23 months' jail for attacking woman, impregnating underage girl Some time in June that year, the youth spent the night at the girl's home and they had sex again. The DPP added: "The accused did so as he assumed that (the girl) would not get pregnant since she had just had an abortion in May 2019. The accused did not use a condom." The court heard that the offender was in a relationship with the 18-year-old girl from August 2019 to September last year. Some time in January last year, the couple had a dispute outside his home as he did not want her to leave the unit. Its location was not revealed in court documents. The offender then slapped the teenager once and kicked her lower back. Two months later, the girl discovered she was pregnant with his child and gave birth in July last year. His bail was set at $15,000 on Friday and he was ordered to surrender himself at the State Courts on Dec 17 to begin serving his sentence. For having sex with a child below 14 years old, an offender can be jailed for up to 20 years and fined or caned. More on this topic Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories
STUTTGART, GERMANY (AFP) - World number one Ashleigh Barty celebrated her 25th birthday by fighting back to beat Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals of the WTA clay-court tournament in Stuttgart on Saturday (April 24). Despite losing the first set in just a over half an hour, Barty hit back to seal a 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 win over the Ukrainian fourth seed. The Australian will meet fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka in Sunday's final after the Belarusian later saw off Simona Halep in straight sets. "It's important to believe. Regardless of the score, I always try and find the right way," said Barty, who also lost the opening set of Friday's quarter-final against Karolina Pliskova. "She is one of the best competitors on the tour, so I knew it would be a very hard fought match and the margins would decide it," Barty added before being presented with a bouquet of flowers with "Happy Birthday" played over the arena's sound system. Barty had little time to celebrate the win or her birthday as she had to partner Jennifer Brady against Vivian Heisen and Wang Yafan in the doubles semi-final. However, the Australian was seeking no sympathy despite the quick turnaround. "I love to play tennis and I love to compete, so to do it on my birthday is even more special," added Barty who has already won the Melbourne and Miami tournaments this season. Sabalenka is into the second clay-court final of her career after powering past Halep for a 6-3, 6-2 win after converting the first of her three match points with an ace. "I didn't have enough sleep and I didn't want to stay on court too long," quipped Sabalenka, who beat Anett Kontaveit just before midnight in Friday's quarter-final. "It was a good match from me and I prepared well." Sabalenka has won three of her six games with Barty, but lost their most recent meeting in the Miami quarter-finals in early April. "She's in form and will be at 100 per cent, I'll do my best and see how it goes," added Sabalenka.
SINGAPORE - A man who started sexually grooming a teenager when she was 13 years old has been jailed for two years and 10 months. Nick Chong Seng Cheong, 24, had sex with the girl on multiple occasions and also paid her for it. He pleaded guilty on Monday (April 12) to three counts of sexual penetration of a minor under 14 and one count of possessing obscene films. Seven charges of sexual penetration of a minor were taken into consideration by District Judge Janet Wang during sentencing. The girl cannot be named due to a gag order to protect her identity. Court documents state that Chong was a project lead at an engineering company when he committed the offences. He became acquainted with the victim through chat application ChatIW in October 2017. They subsequently communicated via WhatsApp, and Chong would ask the girl to send him photographs of her private parts. He also sent her photographs of his genitals and videos of himself performing a sex act. Chong later suggested that they become "friends with benefit", to which the girl agreed, on the condition that she would be paid whenever they engaged in sexual activities. By that time, the girl had informed Chong that she was 13, the court heard. They met up to engage in sexual activities almost every month, from October 2017 to February 2019. These meetings took place either in toilets for the handicapped at various shopping malls or at hotels booked by Chong. On each occasion after the first, Chong paid the victim between $30 and $50, depending on the sexual activity involved. He knew the girl wanted the money to buy games, among other things, the court heard. More on this topic Related Story Grooming, self-blame and fear: Why intra-familial sexual abuse cases stay buried for years Related Story To protect children sexually abused by family members, CPS officers draw up safety plan Chong told the girl to bring a change of clothes each time they met at a hotel, explaining that she would be questioned by the hotel staff if she turned up in school attire. He would also instruct her to act like his sister to avoid arousing the suspicion of the staff. The court heard that Chong took videos of them having sex together in the hotels, which he sent to the victim. His offences came to light after the girl told the police in March 2019 that she had had sex with several men. Two mobile phones were later seized from Chong during police investigations, and were found to contain 48 obscene video clips. In her written submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Emily Koh urged the court to jail him for at least three years. She said Chong had sought to exploit the girl for his sexual gratification despite being aware of her young age. In sentencing Chong on Monday, District Judge Wang noted that there was no dispute that there was a "considerable measure of sexual grooming" in this case. More on this topic Related Story Man who groomed girl, 12, to engage in sexual acts gets 13 years' jail and caning Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories For each offence of sexually penetrating a minor under 14, Chong could have been jailed for up to 20 years. He could also have been fined or caned. He could also have been jailed for up to six months, or fined up to $200,000, or both, for possessing obscene films.
SINGAPORE - The 21-year-old who skipped a court appearance on Monday (March 22) where he was supposed to enter his plea over sexual assault charges has been arrested. Police said he was picked up on Tuesday, the same day they detained another 21-year-old man for allegedly harbouring him. The fugitive is one of two men accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl when she became drunk after a game of Truth Or Dare. His co-accused has already pleaded guilty to raping the girl. The man faces one count of attempted rape and two counts of sexual assault by penetration. The parties in the case cannot be named because of a gag order to protect the victim's identity. The accused was 18 years old when he allegedly committed the offences on Oct 17, 2017, at the foot of a Housing Board block in Pasir Ris Street 51. The court heard that the accused had gone missing on Monday after having breakfast with his father and lawyer. The court hearing was scheduled for 10am. At around 9.10am, he complained of an upset stomach and left for the toilet. He then could not be found, and also did not respond to phone calls and text messages. A warrant of arrest was issued by the High Court the same day. It has not been determined if the $30,000 bail his father posted for him will be forfeited. The police on Wednesday said they are investigating the accused for additional offences. His associate will be charged in court with harbouring an offender. More on this topic Related Story Jail, caning for man who force-fed vodka to 13-year-old and raped her in park Related Story Man accused of attempted rape of 15-year-old fails to show up in court The accused allegedly committed the offences when the girl became increasingly intoxicated as she played Truth Or Dare at the void deck with a group of friends. When the group left the block, the girl had to be piggybacked, as she was too drunk to walk properly. At about 4am, the two accused and the girl were separated from the others who had gone ahead. While she rested on the ground, the two men tried to rouse her, and when she did not respond, they allegedly sexually violated her. More on this topic Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories
SINGAPORE - A 28-year-old man went on trial on Tuesday (Feb 2) for killing his four-year-old stepdaughter, allegedly after he became angry at her for urinating outside the toilet bowl. Muhammad Salihin Ismail is accused of causing fatal injury to the girl, Nursabrina Agustiani Abdullah, sometime between 9am on Sept 1, 2018 and 9.40am on Sept 2, 2018 at a flat in Bukit Batok. He faces the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted of murder. Salihin also faces two other charges for acts of violence against the girl. All the alleged offences took place between July 2017 and September 2018. The High Court heard that the girl came into his care after he was released from the Singapore Armed Forces detention barracks in February 2017. "Within a year and a half she was dead," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Senthilkumaran Sabapathy. The court was told that Salihin's wife is in prison and will be testifying as a prosecution witness. The two other charges have been stood down for now, after defence lawyers objected to Salihin being tried on the non-capital charges together with the capital murder charge. Salihin is accused of causing hurt to the girl between July and October 2017 at his parent's flat by scalding her, allegedly after he became angry at her for not wanting to shower with cold water. He was trying to save on electricity costs. He allegedly placed a shower head, with hot water flowing out of it, on her back for about five to six seconds. Salihin is also accused of ill-treating the girl by slamming her head against the floor, allegedly because he was upset that she had hid under the bed when he was trying to feed her. More on this topic Related Story 27 years' jail for parents of 5-year-old boy who was scalded with hot water, confined in cage before his death Related Story Man and woman charged with killing woman's 4-year-old daughter and burning her body In arguing against a joint trial, defence lawyer Syazana Yahya contended that it cannot be said from the three alleged incidents that there was an escalating pattern of violence. She argued that her client would be prejudiced by having to defend himself against the non-capital charges as well as the murder charge. The trial continues on Wednesday. More on this topic Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories
A man charged with the care of his intellectually disabled daughter sexually assaulted the 17-year-old in the bedroom they shared with his brother, who lay sleeping while it happened. It was not the first time the man, now 52, had assaulted his daughter. He had done so when she was between six and eight years old. Yesterday, the man, who cannot be named to protect the victim's identity, was jailed for 20 years after he pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated sexual assault by penetration, and another count of sexual assault by penetration. A third charge of molestation was taken into consideration during sentencing. The court heard that the girl, who has mild intellectual disability, was living with the man, two of her uncles, her aunt and an older brother when the incident occurred in October 2018. Her mother had moved out of the matrimonial home some years ago, and the girl and her father usually slept in the same room, on different mattresses laid side by side, according to court documents. Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Sarah Siaw said the girl and one of her uncles were sleeping in the room on different mattresses on Oct 26, 2018, when her father walked in. The man, who was working as a dishwasher, had been drinking earlier and he moved next to the girl, and sexually assaulted her. "The victim found this very painful and she felt scared. She covered her face with both her hands and tried to push the accused away," said DPP Siaw. The man stopped after several minutes and fell asleep beside her, but the victim "cried silently to herself in bed". His actions were discovered later that day when the girl's teacher noticed that she seemed very disturbed and asked if she was okay, said DPP Siaw. It later emerged that the man had assaulted her before, in 2008 or 2009, when the girl's mother was still living in their matrimonial home. He sexually abused her in a similar manner, when her mother was not around one night, said DPP Siaw. "As a result of being sexually abused by her father, the victim developed a desire to harm herself. She would use a ruler to try and cut herself, and also tried to hurt herself using a stapler," she added. DPP Chee Ee Ling said the home is meant to be a "safe haven", yet the man had exploited his position as a father and violated the girl.
SINGAPORE - A man told his 11-year-old daughter to consume sleeping pills after he had a dispute with his estranged wife in April 2018. A district court heard that he wanted to show the woman that their marital disputes had caused the girl to feel stressed. He also wanted his wife to feel that she was at fault for not taking proper care of their child. The girl complied and ended up losing consciousness. She was warded in KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) for more than a month. The man later told the girl to lie to the police and tell an investigating officer that she had voluntarily consumed the pills as she wanted to kill herself. Again, the girl complied. But four months later, she told the truth to a social worker. The 40-year-old Singaporean man, who cannot be named owing to a gag order to protect his daughter's identity, pleaded guilty in court on Wednesday (Nov 11) to one count each of ill-treating a child and intentionally perverting the course of justice. He also admitted to an unrelated harassment charge. Deputy Public Prosecutor Joshua Phang said that the man lived with his daughter in a Toa Payoh flat. His wife lived in another flat in Woodlands. On April 7, 2018, the girl sent her mother a text message as she was feeling unwell and asked the woman to pick her up from Toa Payoh so that they could visit a doctor together. The woman replied and told the girl to take a taxi to Woodlands as she did not want to meet the man. The girl then decided to stay home with her younger brother and paternal grandmother. The man phoned his wife that evening and they quarrelled. More on this topic Related Story Babysitter found guilty of poisoning 2 babies under her care Related Story Society's shame: Child abuse surges during Covid-19 The girl was in the living room at around midnight when her father told her to retrieve a bottle of her grandmother's sleeping pills. The court heard that they contained amitriptyline - a poison. He then told her to consume some of the medication. Feeling overwhelmed, the girl swallowed about six pills. Her father later told her to consume more pills and again, she complied. When the girl lost consciousness, the man took her in a taxi to his wife's flat and called for an ambulance when they were on their way there. He laid the girl outside his wife's home and knocked on the door at around 3.45am on April 8, 2018. When his wife opened the door, he told the woman that she would be "answerable if anything happened to the victim". An ambulance arrived soon after and rushed the girl to KKH. The man later visited his daughter in hospital and told her to lie to the police about the situation. More on this topic Related Story 27 years' jail for parents of 5-year-old boy who was scalded with hot water, confined in cage before his death Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories As instructed, the girl lied to Sergeant Dickson Lek on April 18, 2018, claiming that she had wanted to take her own life. The DPP said: "In her statement, the victim told Sgt Lek that she had consumed the pills voluntarily because she felt that no one in her family cared for her and that she had intended to kill herself. "She further stated that she was apologetic for her actions and for troubling so many people." On June 16, 2018, the police told her by post that no further action would be taken against her. The man's offences finally came to light in August 2018 when his daughter revealed the truth to a social worker. In an unrelated incident, the man was at Changi Beach Park on Jan 2 last year when a police officer asked for his NRIC. The man then verbally abused the officer and his colleague with vulgar language. He was later charged with harassment. The man is represented by lawyer Christopher Bridges and his bail was set at $15,000 on Wednesday. He will be sentenced on Dec 9. For intentionally perverting the course of justice, an offender can be jailed for up to seven years and fined.
SINGAPORE - A full-time national serviceman was sentenced to 21 months' probation after he molested a seven-year-old girl and used his mobile phone to film himself touching her. The clip was found on Zachary Lim Shao Rong's laptop when police investigated him for a separate upskirt offence. Both offences were committed while Lim was a polytechnic student. The 20-year-old Singaporean was sentenced on Tuesday (Nov 10) after he pleaded guilty to one count each of molestation and insulting a woman's modesty. As part of his sentence, he has to remain indoors from 10pm to 6am every day and perform 40 hours of community service. He is prohibited from using mobile phones, tablets or any devices with attached cameras. His mother and stepfather were also bonded for $5,000 to ensure his good behaviour. The court heard that the first incident happened on Feb 14, 2018. Lim was on his way home at around 5.15pm when he spotted the seven-year-old girl and her friend at a fitness corner in Bukit Panjang. He approached the victim and asked the child if she would like to use the pull-up bar in the exercise area. Lim lifted her to the bar and while she was hanging from it, he took out his mobile phone and activated his camera. More on this topic Related Story Sentence for man who molested 12-year-old girl reduced on appeal Related Story Teen molested 40-year-old woman and insulted the modesty of two teenage girls He then molested the girl while recording a video before helping her down. Deputy Public Prosecutor V Jesudevan said that Lim deleted the video from his phone after transferring it to his laptop computer. At around 11.30am on July 5 last year, he decided to target a 31-year-old woman who was standing in front of him on an escalator at Choa Chu Kang LRT station. The DPP said: "The victim was alerted of the accused person's actions when the handphone came into contact with her thigh." More on this topic Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories The woman then held onto Lim's mobile phone and led him to the control station. The police were alerted soon after. For insulting a woman's modesty, an offender can be jailed for up to a year and fined. Offenders convicted of molesting a child below 14 years old can be jailed for up to five years and fined or caned.
SINGAPORE - He was only 13 years old, and she was nine, but that did not stop him from sexually abusing his cousin over three years from 2014. It only ended when the victim feared that she may be pregnant and her teacher was alerted. The offender, now 20, was sentenced on Thursday (Oct 29) to at least a year's reformative training. He will be detained at a centre and made to follow a strict regimen that includes foot drills and counselling. The youth cannot be named to due to a gag order to protect his cousin's identity. He was waiting to enlist in national service when he pleaded guilty earlier this year to two counts of sexually penetrating a minor and a molestation charge. Fourteen other similar charges involving the girl, who is now 15, were considered during sentencing. Deputy Public Prosecutor Chong Kee En told the court that the cousins were close and played together as children. He would sometimes also help the girl with her schoolwork. The pair were in a flat in early 2014 when the girl walked out of a bathroom naked. The DPP said: "Although he was not aroused initially, the desire to see the victim naked again began to fester in his mind." Later that year, the girl was lying down on their grandmother's bed when he felt an urge to touch her. He asked her if he could do so and when she nodded her head, he undressed the girl and molested her. More on this topic Related Story Man, 20, sentenced to 1 year RTC for molesting his underage cousin over 4 years Related Story Teen who molested 12-year-old sister sentenced to 21 months' probation The court heard that the youth was disgusted with himself after doing it. But he also decided the consequences were "not as bad", as he felt the victim probably could not understand what had happened. About six months later, he molested her again and by December 2014, the acts of abuse were more serious with him sexually penetrating her without a condom. He then sexually abused her multiple times from 2015 to 2017. The DPP said that the girl started feeling a pain in her stomach on Aug 15, 2017. He added: "Although the accused did not penetrate her vaginally - but anally and orally - she thought pregnancy could occur from anal penetration." She told her close friends that she was afraid she might be pregnant. She also said her cousin had sexually abused her. The girl's teacher later found out about the offences and the police were alerted. More on this topic Related Story Paedophile, 22, gets jail, caning for molesting sister when she was 5 and raping her at age 12 Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories DPP Chong said: "During all of the sexual activities, the victim felt scared, uncomfortable and confused as to why the accused was doing these acts. "Although she felt uneasy about it, she did not really understand the seriousness of the matter. She also kept quiet about all the previous incidences as she did not want her family to break up." The girl later went for a medical test and was found to be free from sexually transmitted infections. The offender has since apologised to her parents, the court heard. He was offered bail on Thursday and ordered to surrender himself at the State Courts on Nov 12 to begin serving his sentence. For each count of sexually penetrating a child below 14 years old, an offender can be jailed for up to 20 years and fined or caned.
SINGAPORE - A former Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) regular was sentenced on Tuesday (Oct 27) to 7 1/2 years' jail and six strokes of the cane for molesting a girl and attempting to molest another victim four months later. Mohamed Ardlee Iriandee Mohamed Sanip was convicted on Feb 27, following a trial, of molesting an eight-year-old girl in January 2018. On March 23, he admitted in court that he had tried to molest a 10-year-old girl in May that year as well. The two girls cannot be named due to a gag order. Court documents did not disclose Ardlee's rank and role at the Safti Military Institute - his deployment at the time of the offences. Before sentencing Ardlee on Tuesday, District Judge John Ng noted that the 40-year-old was a first-time offender but added that his offences were "very serious" and they involved young schoolgirls. Judge Ng said the punishment should be severe enough to "reflect the condemnation" of such acts. In her submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sruthi Boppana stated that Ardlee had developed an interest in young girls a month before targeting the first victim. The DPP added that he was also "predisposed to thoughts of molesting them, and had thought of doing so by waiting near primary schools for opportunities". The victim and a friend were walking back from school at around 3pm on Jan 22, 2018, when they spotted him at a Housing Board block in Tampines. It is where the friend's grandparents live. More on this topic Related Story SAF regular found guilty of molesting girl, 8, in 2018 incident Related Story SAF regular in 2018 tried to molest girl four months after outraging another child's modesty After walking her friend to her flat, the victim was near a lift lobby where Ardlee grabbed her hand and molested her. He released the girl only after she told him several times to stop. She returned to her friend's flat and the police were alerted. Ardlee struck again on May 21 that year, when he attempted to molest a 10-year-old girl in Choa Chu Kang. She was on her way home from school and had entered a lift alone. When she reached the second storey, she saw Ardlee standing outside. When he pulled her towards the corner of a staircase landing area, she started screaming. Ardlee released her and fled. The girl returned home and told her aunt about the incident. Ardlee was arrested the next day. On Oct 1, DPP Sruthi urged the judge to sentence the former SAF regular to nine years' jail with seven strokes of the cane. More on this topic Related Story Ex-public servant accused of molestation says relationship with victim was 'professional' Related Story Serial molester admits molesting two girls soon after last release from prison She said he had committed serious offences against two young victims. Defence lawyer Mohamed Muzammil Mohamed, who pleaded for a lighter sentence, said his client had been diagnosed with anxiety and depression. Mr Muzammil also told the court that Ardlee was under a period of stress when he committed the offences. Ardlee is out on bail of $30,000 and was ordered to surrender himself at the State Courts on Nov 2 to begin serving his sentence. The Ministry of Defence on Tuesday said that the SAF had discharged him from service. “The Singapore Armed Forces holds its servicemen to high standards of discipline and integrity, and expects them to abide by the law. Those who commit offences will be dealt with in accordance with the law,” it added. For each charge, offenders convicted of molesting a child below 14 years old can be jailed for up to 10 years and caned. More on this topic Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories