Singapore jails 18th man for underage sex
A former financial planner who had commercial sex with an underage prostitute was sentenced to eight weeks' jail on Monday. Kenny Sim Choon Wee, 39, is appealing his sentence.
The father of three admitted to paying S$500 (Bt11,960) to the 17-year-old for her sexual services at Hotel 81 Bencoolen on October 18, 2010.
He is the 18th among 51 suspects dealt with as part of an ongoing high-profile online sex case involving underage prostitutes in Singapore.
A district court heard that Sim, now unemployed, became acquainted with the website operated by Tang Boon Thiew in 2010. Tang is also appealing against his sentence.
Sim’s lawyer Anand Nalachandran had sought a heavy fine for his client and urged the court to be lenient on account of his client’s medical condition. Born premature, he said Sim has a medical history of cerebral palsy and limb spasticity, and a jail sentence would be hard on him.
District Judge Chay Yuen took into account Sim’s medical conditions and gave him eight weeks in jail instead of the nine to 13 weeks handed to the other 17 men sentenced so far.
Meanwhile a former primary school teacher who had a sexual relationship with her pupil confessed to her pastor and reported herself to the police, a district court heard yesterday.
The 32-year-old married mother of three, who faced six charges, admitted yesterday to two counts of having sex with the 13-year-old student in Sembawang Park in May 2011 and at her home two months later. She was charged last December.
The court heard on Monday that she and the victim became attracted to each other in March 2011 and they began sending each other SMS messages until late at night. Sometime in April, they went for a movie at Northpoint Shopping Centre in Yishun. That was the start of their relationship when they confessed their love for each other.
In May, they went to a park and had sex. They had sex several more times in May, June and July. In July the principal asked her to write a report. The next day, she went to church and confessed to her pastor. She then told the principal, made a police report and was arrested. She will be sentenced on March 14.
