51 to be charged with having commercial sex with minor
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Underage sex scandal: Ex-principal released from jail early
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The ex principle has integrity and shows repentance. I hope his family forgives him... he truly faced the consequence boldly like a true man. Kudos!
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Four more men to plead guilty in online vice ring case
SINGAPORE: Four men charged with having sex with an underaged prostitute in the online vice ring case are expected to plead guilty.
They are Louis Lee Lip Kian, 33; Chiang Meng Chuan, 31; Pyi Kyaw Han, 31, and Wilson Oei, 25.
They allegedly paid the under-aged girl between S$450 and S$650 for sex at various hotels in 2010.
Chiang, who is represented by Mr Shankar Alan allegedly paid the under-aged girl between S$500 and S$600 for sex on two occasions at Hotel 81 Bencoolen in September 2010.
Oei, who is represented by Mr Chen Chee Yen is also accused of paying the girl between S$450 and S$500 for sex at the same hotel.
Chiang and Oei will plead guilty on June 27.
The other two men, Lee, represented by Mr Amolat Singh, and Pyi, represented by Mr James Sebastian will plead guilty on July 9 and 12 respectively.
The men were part of the 45 cases heard in court behind closed doors on Monday.
Thirteen out of the 48 charged are claiming trial while 27 are still undecided.
More than 25 lawyers, including criminal lawyer Mr Subhas Anandan, turned up to represent their clients.
One of them said all 10 of his clients will claim trial.
"All are taking a uniform, united stand. They will all come on the same day. If there will be a trial, there will be different dates and the girl will have to come on many occasions to testify," said Mr Anandan.
The girl cannot be named because of a court gag order and some lawyers representing the men have criticised this.
But the court upheld its decision.
Mr Anandan said: "The prosecution applied for a gag order. We objected to it on the basis that the provisions of the law do not protect people like her, because she is not a victim of rape or molest. But the judge has already given a gag order before so he said he will stick to it. I told him that I will respect his decision though I may not agree with him."
The first to plead guilty in the high profile case is former principal Lee Lip Hong, who was sentenced in April and was given nine weeks' jail.
He was released on June 8 for good behaviour after serving six weeks behind bars.
A total of 48 men were charged in April for having paid sex with a minor.
Two more cases will be heard next week.
- CNA/fa -
Howard Shaw pleads guilty to paid sex with underage girl
SINGAPORE: Howard Shaw has pleaded guilty to having paid sex with an underage girl.
The former Singapore Environment Council executive director was among 48 men who were earlier charged with paid sex with the 17 year old.
Shaw's lawyers had sought and obtained a hearing on Wednesday to address issues with the court regarding Shaw's charge.
His lawyer, Mr Harpreet Singh, argued that Shaw had made an "honest and reasonable mistake".
He said that there was "no pre-meditation nor intention" as the offence was committed "unwittingly".
Mr Singh called for a non-custodial sentence as Shaw's case "falls at, or very near, the lowest end of the culpability spectrum".
Dressed in a suit, Shaw showed no emotion throughout the 45-minute hearing.
He will be back in court on 30 July.
- CNA/ck -
2 more plead guilty to paid sex with 17-year-old-girl
SINGAPORE: Two more men have also pleaded guilty to having paid sex with the same underage girl.
25-year-old Wilson Oei and 31-year-old Chiang Meng Chuan each pleaded to one count of having sex with the girl who is under 18.
They will be sentenced on 13 August.
Earlier, former Singapore Environment Council executive director Howard Shaw pleaded guilty to having paid sex with the same girl.
- CNA/ck -
lately so many scandals. most people have lost interest in this case.
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Men involved in online vice ring case waiting for Shaw's hearing
SINGAPORE: Lawyers of several men involved in the online vice ring case say they want to wait for Howard Shaw's case to heard, before they proceed with theirs.
Former Singapore Environment Council executive director Howard Shaw's case will be heard again on July 30, after he earlier pleaded guilty to having paid sex with an underage girl on June 27.
Many lawyers who are representing the other men charged with having paid sex with the same girl said that they would be making referrals to Shaw's case.
The men had allegedly procured the services from an online vice ring which had employed the girl.
Criminal lawyer Subhas Anandan said his clients' defence will depend on that of Shaw's.
All ten of Mr Anandan's clients will be contesting the charges.
Channel NewsAsia also understands that one of them, 32-year-old Loh Ben Ni, is planning to head to China for a conference.
Defence Counsel Josephus Tan added that Shaw's case will be "somewhat of a guideline for the rest of the cases to come".
Mr Tan is representing two accused men, including 27-year-old naval captain Chan Wei Kiat.
Chan, who has been suspended since investigations started last year, is intending to plead guilty at a later date.
- CNA/wm -
Are they going to report the 44 cases one by one?
One story x 44 times.
Thats quite a lot of newspaper space for a newspaper that frequently have no space for letters.
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actually is 48 but I'm sure if they dig more, there is a lot more.
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what happened to the pimp of the vice ring?
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Underage sex scandal: Two more men plead guilty
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3 men charged with paid sex with underage girl
SINGAPORE: Another three men have been charged with paid sex with an underage girl in the online vice ring scandal.
Arjunan Kulasegaram, 37, faces one count of paying S$450 to the underage girl for sex in October 2010.
Ban Yinh Jheow, 42, faces three counts of paying the girl S$450 each time they had sex.
The offences allegedly occurred between September and October in 2010 at Hotel 81 Bencoolen.
Koh Hooi Hon, 43, allegedly paid the underage girl S$650 for sex with her at Slone Court Hotel in December 2010.
If convicted, they may be jailed up to seven years and fined on each count.
- CNA/cc -
Whats with the pido~
TI KO PEH! hahaha~
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Howard Shaw sentenced to 3 months' jail; out on bail pending appeal
SINGAPORE: Former executive director of the Singapore Environment Council, Howard Shaw, has been sentenced to three months' jail for having paid sex with an underage girl.
The 41-year-old grandson of the founder of Shaw Organisation admitted in June to paying a 17-year-old girl S$500 for sex in October 2010.
In the prosecution's submissions, it stated that the offence warrants a custodial sentence and urged the court to mete out a three-month jail term to Shaw.
The prosecution said the minor involved is "worthy" of protection as stated under the law.
Adding that the extent of the culpability depends on whether Shaw tried to verify the minor's age, the prosecution pointed out the accused took absolutely no steps to ascertain the girl's age.
The prosecution said having done nothing to ascertain the girl's age yet the defence asked for a non-custodial sentence is something that "cannot be done".
If the minor refuses to show documents to confirm her age, the prosecution said a patron should walk away "as due diligence".
However one may view the minor's actions, the prosecution also said the focus should be on Shaw's actions and a deterrent sentence is called for.
But defence lawyer Harpeet Singh Nehal pointed out the girl was about 17 years and seven months old at the time of the offence, five months short of the legal age of 18.
With no criminal intent and pre-meditation, he said Shaw made an "honest and reasonable mistake".
The reasonable mistake was that the minor showed no signs of her age, either in appearance or behaviour.
Mr Nehal added "there was fraudulent misrepresentation in this case", as the minor "colluded" with the pimp to hide her real age.
He added that the minor was neither coerced into having sex nor was she a victim of human trafficking.
Given the circumstances, Mr Nehal asked for a conditional discharge or a fine.
But this cut no ice with the district judge See Kee Oon, who laid out two key areas in his consideration of the sentence - the relevance of due diligence of Shaw in ascertaining the girl's age and whether he committed an honest and reasonable mistake as claimed by the defence.
On Shaw's claims that he was convinced from the website profile of the girl and from her behaviour and demeanour that he believed her to be of age, the judge said "perception is subjective and prone to error and bias".
While the district judge said Shaw was looking for services from an 18 year-old and that he was honestly mistaken, he pointed out that Shaw never asked about the girl's age.
The judge also said Shaw should not have been guided by his "subjective belief".
"He chose not to ask. He had allowed himself to be deceived."
He added that the girl's conduct, even if fraudulent, should not be used to assess Shaw's.
Mr Harpeet Singh has indicated in court that his client intends to appeal against the decision.
Shaw will be out on bail of S$10,000 pending appeal.
He is the second of the 51 men to be dealt with in the online vice ring crackdown.
In April, former principal of Pei Chun Public School, Lee Lip Hong was sentenced to nine weeks' jail for a similar offence with the same underage girl.
The 39-year-old was released from Changi Prison in June after serving six weeks' jail.
The early remission was because of his good behaviour.
-CNA/ac/ck -
Another man involved in online vice ring case plans to plead guilty
SINGAPORE: A man accused of paying for sex with an underage girl in the online vice ring scandal is expected to plead guilty next month.
Ban Yinh Jheow, 42, allegedly had paid sex with a 17-year-old three times between September 2010 and October 2010.
His defence lawyer Chia Boon Teck asked for a four-week adjournment for his client to make some preparations.
Ban will appear in court on September 6.
So far, 51 men have been implicated in the online vice ring case.
Two of them - environment champion Howard Shaw and former principal Lee Lip Hong - have been dealt with.
Thirty-nine-year-old Lee, who was the first to plead guilty, was given nine weeks' jail while 41-year-old Shaw was sentenced to 12 weeks of imprisonment.
- CNA/cc -
Manager jailed 12 weeks in online vice ring case
SINGAPORE: A production manager was jailed 12 weeks on Monday for having paid sex with an underage girl.
Thirty-one-year-old Chiang Meng Chuan was found guilty of paying the girl S$450 for sex on each of two occasions at Hotel 81 Bencoolen in September 2010.
Chiang, who is married with a three-and-a-half-year-old son, is part of the 51 men implicated in the online vice ring case.
His lawyer, Mr Shankar Alan, told the court that his client was "extremely remorseful" and wanted closure.
He added that Chiang did ask for the girl's age only to be told that she was of legal age.
However in response, Deputy Public Prosecutor Peggy Pao argued that Chiang only "relied on the bare representation of her age and did not verify her age by checking her identity card".
Senior District Judge See Kee Oon, in his sentencing, agreed with this, adding that Chiang "was content to simply take her word for it".
He also rejected the claim that the girl's supposed "immoral" actions were relevant and should be taken into account during mitigation.
He added that this would "wrongly shift the sentencing court's focus to the character or conduct of the minor, when the court should focus on the conduct of the accused".
However, he noted that Chiang had pleaded guilty at an early stage and was unlikely to reoffend.
Chiang is the third man to be convicted in the case so far.
Former principal of Pei Chun Public School Lee Lip Hong was sentenced to nine weeks' jail for a similar offence with the same underage girl.
The 39-year-old was released from Changi Prison in June after serving six weeks' jail.
The early remission was because of his good behaviour.
On July 30, former executive director of the Singapore Environment Council Howard Shaw was jailed three months for having paid sex with an underage girl.
Shaw is now out on bail of S$10,000 pending appeal.
- CNA/cc -
Two more plead guilty in online vice ring case
SINGAPORE: Two more men pleaded guilty on Wednesday to paying for sex with an underage girl in the high-profile online vice ring scandal.
39-year-old former police superintendent Tan Wee Kiat and 37-year-old portfolio manager Ng Guan Mean are part of the group of 51 men implicated in the case.
The duo, who are both represented by Mr Luke Lee, came across the girl's services online and contacted her pimp Tan Boon Thiew.
Tan paid the girl S$600 for sex at Hotel 81 Bencoolen in December 2010.
The girl was seventeen years old then.
Under Singapore law, it is illegal to have paid sex with a girl below 18 years of age.
In mitigation, Mr Lee said that Tan was "facing stress from his work and personal life".
The court also heard that Tan was suffering from an adjustment disorder when he committed the offence.
In addition, Mr Lee urged the court to take into consideration Tan's "long years of public service" as a police superintendent.
He also pushed for a probation instead of a jail term.
In response, the prosecution argued that a probation was "inappropriate" as the offence was not a "rehabilitative one".
Similarly, Ng paid the under-age girl S$450 for sex at M Hotel at Anson Road in October 2010.
The court heard that Ng asked the girl for her age before they had sex, and was told that she was 19 years old.
But Ng stopped short of verifying her age through identification documents.
Tan will be sentenced on August 27 and Ng will be sentenced on November 2.
Former principal of Pei Chun Public School Lee Lip Hong was sentenced to nine weeks' jail for a similar offence with the same underage girl.
The 39-year-old was released from Changi Prison in June after serving six weeks' jail. The early remission was because of his good behaviour.
On July 30, former executive director of the Singapore Environment Council Howard Shaw was jailed three months for having paid sex with an underage girl. Shaw is now out on bail of S$10,000 pending appeal.
- CNA/wm -
can all do together? always one or two going to take hw long sia
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Another man claims trial in online vice ring scandal
SINGAPORE: Another man accused of paying for sex with an underage girl in the online vice ring scandal has said he will claim trial.
Koh Hooi Hon, 43, allegedly had paid sex with a 17-year-old in December 2010 at Sloane Court hotel.
During the court proceedings on Friday, Koh was reminded by the judge not to approach the victim.
His passport has also been impounded.
He will next appear in court on October 15.
Koh was accompanied by a male friend.
Both men left the court wearing identical hooded sweatshirts, face masks and sunglasses.
So far, 51 men have been implicated in the online vice ring case.
41-year-old environment champion Howard Shaw, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 12 weeks jail.
Former principal Lee Lip Hong, 39, was given nine weeks' jail after also pleading guilty.
- CNA/wm -
Put in jail for having sex. That's kind of stupid really. In the olden days, girls as young as 13 had sex.
Well, that's also because they got married hahaha.
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Ex-police officer gets 12 weeks' jail in online vice ring case
SINGAPORE: A policeman's long career came crashing down after he was jailed 12 weeks on Monday for having paid sex with an underage girl in the high-profile online vice case.
39-year-old Tan Wee Kiat, who has been in the police force for 14 years, was one of several men charged for having paid sex with the same girl.
In his sentencing, District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt said that Tan, who did not verify the girl's age, "should have known better." However, he noted that Tan, a senior police officer, did not commit the offence while on duty.
Tan, who was dressed in black from head to toe, appeared calm during sentencing. The court heard that he was diagnosed with depression due to stress, during the time of the offence.
Tan came across the girl's services online and contacted her pimp Tan Boon Thiew. He paid the girl S$600 for sex at Hotel 81 Bencoolen in December 2010. The girl was seventeen years old then.
Under Singapore law, it is illegal to have paid sex with a girl below 18 years of age.
A week ago, Tan's lawyer, Mr Luke Lee said in mitigation that Tan was "facing stress from his work and personal life". He also urged the court to take into consideration Tan's "long years of public service" as a Police Superintendent.
Channel NewsAsia understands that Tan has been seeing a psychiatrist since 2008.
Tan is the third man to be sentenced so far.
Former principal of Pei Chun Public School Lee Lip Hong was sentenced to nine weeks' jail for a similar offence with the same underage girl. Lee, 39, was released from Changi Prison in June after serving six weeks' jail. The early remission was because of his good behaviour.
On July 30, former executive director of the Singapore Environment Council Howard Shaw was jailed three months for having paid sex with an underage girl. Shaw is now out on bail of S$10,000 pending an appeal.
-CNA/ac -
Ironic, consentual sex (free sex) with 17yo girl is ok.
Buy sex from 17yo girl not ok.
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Originally posted by mancha:
Ironic, consentual sex (free sex) with 17yo girl is ok.
Buy sex from 17yo girl not ok.
Sex with a girl on her 18th birthday just 1 hour before the time she was born counted?
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Originally posted by SBS 6078 M:
Sex with a girl on her 18th birthday just 1 hour before the time she was born counted?
OK, as long as no money involve.
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Originally posted by mancha:
Ironic, consentual sex (free sex) with 17yo girl is ok.
Buy sex from 17yo girl not ok.
Good point. Why is there a gaping loophole regarding this? I must be missing something.