SINGAPORE: A canteen assistant was sentenced to 15
months' jail on Thursday for having sex with an underage
girl.
G Raj Kumar, 22, committed the offence in February
last year.
The girl, who cannot be named to protect her
identity, was 15 years old at the time of the incident.
The court heard that Kumar got to know her through a mutual friend,
and was aware of how old the girl was. The pair then exchanged
phone numbers.
One night, about two weeks later after he first met her, Kumar
called the girl, as he had just broken up with his girlfriend and
was feeling lonely.
He then asked the girl to come to his flat in Ghim Moh.
When she got there, he took her to a nearby playground and plied
her with alcohol, before showing her a video recording on his phone
of him and his ex-girlfriend having sex.
The court heard that the girl spent the night at his house, as well
as the whole of the next day with Kumar.
On the second night with Kumar, the girl woke up as she felt
something pressing down on her body. She realised that he was lying
on top of her and had pulled down her shorts and underwear.
Kumar then had unprotected sex with her, and told her to keep quiet
when she complained of pain.
His crime came to light when the girl finally went home.
She was questioned by police officers on her whereabouts as her
parents had earlier filed a missing persons report.
The court also heard that the girl had performed oral sex on Kumar,
and the charge was taken into consideration during
sentencing.
In his mitigation, Kumar asked to be put on probation as he was a
first-time offender.
But the district judge noted that the facts of the case showed that
Kumar had been out to exploit the young girl, and that probation
was not a suitable sentence.
For having sex with a minor, Kumar could have been jailed up to 10
years and fined.
- CNA/de