51 to be charged with having commercial sex with minor
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Swiss national to go on trial for online vice ring case
SINGAPORE: A Swiss national accused of having paid sex with an underage girl will be the first to fight the case this month.
Juerg Buergin, 41, was one of 51 men implicated in the high-profile online vice ring crackdown last year.
The former executive director at UBS Investment Bank faces two charges - he allegedly paid the girl a total of S$1,250 for sex in September 2010 and in January 2011.
Buergin's lawyer, Selva K Naidu, said trial dates have been fixed for five days this month. The trial begins on 19 March.
A large part of the defence's case would be whether mens rea (a guilty mind) is required to constitute the offence.
In this case, the lawyer said the accused did not have a guilty mind, which meant that he would not have known that the girl was a minor and hence he is not guilty of the offence.
So far, 18 out of 51 men have been dealt with.
They include former executive director of the Singapore Environment Council, Howard Shaw and former school principal, Lee Lip Hong.
- CNA/xq -
This case is still going on? OMG
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Woman at centre of underage paid sex to testify in-camera
SINGAPORE: The 20-year-old woman at the centre of an underage paid sex scandal will testify in-camera in the trial of a Swiss national accused of paying her for sex.
The court decided on this on the opening day of the trial of Juerg Buergin on Tuesday.
The 41-year-old former executive director at UBS Investment Bank is the first of 51 men accused of paying the same girl for sex to fight the charges.
His lawyer and the prosecution argued over whether the witness should testify in-camera, away from the public eye.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Kavitha Uthrapathy pushed for a private court hearing, saying the woman is a "very vulnerable witness" and is "susceptible to mental and emotional injury".
She pointed out that the witness, who turned 20 a few days ago, might have to testify in potentially 30 trials and deserves protection.
Defence lawyer Selva K Naidu said it is "difficult to accept she was a victim".
He felt that the risk of damage to her reputation or the "embarrassing nature of evidence" is not sufficient shield her from a public hearing.
The District Judge agreed with Mr Naidu that there was no coercion involved but shared the prosecution's view that she is a minor who needs to be protected under the law here.
He added that given high publicity of the case and in the interest of justice, her evidence should be given in-camera.
Buergin, wearing a suit with a red tie, declared in court that he is not guilty.
A father of two, he allegedly paid the girl a total of $1,250 for sex in September 2010 and in January 2011.
Three witnesses - a forensic analyst, a security director at Shangri-La Hotel and a fraud manager with M1, have taken the stand so far.
Tang Boon Thiew, who is allegedly her pimp, took the stand on Tuesday afternoon.
He told the court that he didn't recognise Buergin as he had never met his clients.
When asked why he did not change the girl's age to 18 on the website that promised sexual services, when he found out her real age in 2010, Tang replied that the girl was 17 years and 8 months old, and it appeared logical to him to round up her age.
- CNA/fa/ms -
She is 20 now.....
Can we.... her... ?
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now cheaper?
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Is she still working?
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Originally posted by Tcsaaa:
now cheaper?
maybe free... if u r lucky....
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Originally posted by Dalforce 1941:
Is she still working?
If u pay her well......
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Swiss national in online vice ring case to know verdict on Apr 30
SINGAPORE: A district court will hand down its verdict in the trial of a Swiss national involved in the high-profile online vice ring case at the end of April.
Juerg Buergin, a former executive director at UBS Investment Bank, faces two counts of obtaining commercial sex with an underage girl.
Lawyers wrapped up their closing arguments on Thursday after a three-day hearing.
According to prosecutors, Buergin was an evasive witness who gave evidence that was inconsistent, self-serving, and even incredible.
They pointed to the fact that he couldn't recall many details, including whether he had sex with the underage girl.
In contrast, they said the girl at the centre of the online vice ring scandal proved to be a "truthful and credible" witness.
She had given a detailed and textured account of her two encounters with Buergin, and could remember specifics such as having sex with him at luxury hotels and how he paid her upfront - passing the money to her in a hotel envelope.
This was evidence that remained consistent even under 'rigorous' cross-examination, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Kavita Uthrapathy.
"Her evidence is inherently believable... she is a naive girl who was coaxed into the flesh trade by the lure of money. Her background as an escort should not be taken against her... she has left the trade and turned her life around," Ms Kavita added. This was in response to Buergin's lawyers remarks that parts of the girl's testimony sounded 'rehearsed' and contrived'.
Prosecutors highlighted Buergin had done nothing to find out her real age, or check her identity card.
"He was reckless in his dealings and made himself wilfully blind to the possibility that the girl was a minor," said DPP Kavita.
But Buergin's lawyer rebutted this, saying Buergin did not have guilty intent at the time and had not deliberately sought sex with an underage girl.
He charged that his client had been deceived by the girl and her pimp Tang Boon Thiew into believing she was 18 years old.
Said Buergin's lawyer Mr Selva K Naidu: "The pimp and his prostitute are the ones who should be in the dock, on charges of conspiracy to cheat. The accused is a victim of cheating."
To this, the Deputy Public Prosecutor responded that the offence under which he's been charged is an 'absolute liability' offence.
This makes the issue of intent 'irrelevant', she said.
The DPP added that this had been enacted by Parliament to curb both conscious and unconscious demand in Singapore for prostitutes who are minors.
District Judge Eddy Tham will deliver his verdict on April 30. If found guilty, Buergin could be jailed up to seven years and fined.
- CNA/ac/de -
51 men is a understatement. It could be 80 men..... as reported...
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Let's see how long they take to solve this case. And let's see who's behind the scene.
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Originally posted by SBS 6078 M:
Let's see how long they take to solve this case. And let's see who's behind the scene.
They have already charged the pimp... who's behind the scene.... who else?
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there r many many layers
will neber be able to catch the big guy up there
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Originally posted by Just_do_it_lah:
They have already charged the pimp... who's behind the scene.... who else?
fireice already explained it.
maybe some big shots we know very famous d lei?
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Originally posted by FireIce:
there r many many layers
will neber be able to catch the big guy up there
LHL .?
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LHL? Low fat, high lactose milk?
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Originally posted by Mr Milo:
LHL?
Low fat, high lactose milk?
Think again....
your brain seems pretty small.....
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but when talk about sex, your brain expand triple...
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i sometimes get confused by the short forms used LHL............ok i get it :lol:
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Even top or you could say high-society people like Shaw's grandson already got the sentence....
who else is "highly profile" not to get involved ?
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that's right illict sex kills be faithful to your wife
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Next time...
go "call" a "chicken" whom doesn't writes diary...
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at least can finish whatever you want safely and fast without any side effects Finish, go. Dun linger around
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call chicken nid to show our ic?
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Originally posted by Red5xx:
call chicken nid to show our ic?
maybe...