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"Online prostitution ring" under probe

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Alleged Singapore Pimp in Online Ring Faces New Charges

Tham Yuen-C - Straits Times | May 23, 2012

Singapore. The man behind the online vice ring through which 48 men allegedly engaged an underage prostitute now faces 60 fresh charges.

The bulk of the charges against Tang Boon Thiew, 39, are for abetting those men in their trysts with the girl.

As he already had 35 charges laid before him last November, he now faces 95 in all.

Of the 60 charges tendered against him in closed-door proceedings two weeks ago, 56 were for abetting commercial sex with a minor under 18.

The remaining four were for offenses under the Women’s Charter — one each for procuring a 27-year-old Singaporean and 25-year-old Malaysian for prostitution here, and two for living off their earnings.

His 48 alleged clients were charged last month with having paid for sex with the girl, who was 17 when the offences are said to have taken place.

Court papers said they hired the Singaporean girl through Tang between September 2010 and February last year.

Believed to have been her pimp, he apparently advertised her services through a social escort website he set up.

In the hearing against former school principal Lee Lip Hong — who has since pleaded guilty and been jailed nine weeks — it emerged that Tang arranged for Lee’s sessions with the girl, using text messages to fix details of the price and meeting place.

Tang is believed to have done the same for the rest of the men.

The girl, who cannot be named, commanded $450 to $850 a session, from which Tang allegedly took a cut.

Besides her, he is believed to have represented at least 15 other prostitutes.

Of the 35 charges against him last November, 34 involved his living off their earnings — an offense that carries a jail term of up to five years, and a fine of up to $10,000; the remaining charge was for having paid sex with a minor, believed to be the 17-year-old.

Prostitution is not illegal here, but having paid sex with someone under 18 is. The penalty is jail of up to seven years and a fine.

Apart from Lee, the other men are due to return to court for a disclosure conference next month.

Meanwhile, investigations into another 14 men who allegedly paid for sex with the same girl are ongoing.

Reprinted courtesy of Straits Times

To watch MV here without being made to go to YouTube website, press play, you will see the WMG message, refresh page and press play again.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WnisBb2rVOg?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
 

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Ex-Pei Chun principal out of prison

By Hanna Begam | Posted: 08 June 2012 1603 hrs

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SINGAPORE: The former principal of Pei Chun Public School, Lee Lip Hong, was released from Changi Prison on Friday.

He was sentenced to nine weeks' jail in April for having paid sex with an underage girl.

The 39-year-old served six weeks' jail and was released early for good behaviour.

Mr Lee is the first among 48 men to be sentenced in the online vice ring case.

Sporting a crew cut and looking relaxed, he said he will focus on his family and work on getting their forgiveness.

He added that he is determined to continue giving back to society.

"I think the important thing is to have the courage to face up the consequences. And then move on from there.

"I think there is nothing in stopping me to make further contributions to the community or to the society, as long as I have the determination to do so," Lee said.

- CNA/ck
 

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Underage sex scandal: 4 more to plead guilty


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PLEADING GUILTY: Pyi Kyaw Han will admit to two charges of paying for sex with the underage prostitute.

By Samantha Boh

my paper
Tuesday, Jun 12, 2012

Four more of the 48 men charged with having sex with an underage prostitute intend to plead guilty.

Those who intend to do so are: Louis Lee Lip Kian, 33; Chiang Meng Chuan, 31; Wilson Oei, 25; and Pyi Kway Han, 31.

Their lawyers revealed this to reporters outside a district court yesterday. They were among at least 25 lawyers, representing 45 of the men, who were present for criminal case-discovery conferences. Former head of the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) Howard Shaw, 41, and Swiss national Juerg Buergin, 41, and their lawyers were not present.

Former Pei Chun Public School principal Lee Lip Hong, 39, who was also charged, pleaded guilty and was convicted on April 27.

He was released from prison last Saturday after serving six weeks of his nine-week sentence, and paid tribute to his wife for standing by him.

According to court documents, the men involved had hired the girl, who is now above 18 but has her identity protected by a gag order, through her alleged pimp, Tang Boon Thiew, between September 2010 and February last year.

Of the four who have indicated that they intend to plead guilty, two - Oei and Chiang - are scheduled to appear in court on June 27, while Lee and Pyi are due back on July 9 and 12, respectively.

Pyi and Chiang face two charges each, while Lee and Oei each face one charge.

The remaining 41 men whose lawyers appeared in court yesterday are scheduled to be back in court on dates scheduled from July 2 to 16. Speaking outside the courthouse, lawyer Amolat Singh, who is representing Lee, said that his client intends to plead guilty as he "wants to leave this sorry state behind him and move on with life".

Lawyer Subhas Anandan, who represents 10 of the accused men, told reporters that all of his clients intend to claim trial. He said that he had objected to the gag order placed to protect the identity of the underage girl, but the court upheld its decision.

"I objected to it on the basis that provisions of the law do not protect people like her, because she is not a victim of rape or molestation," he said.

He added that he respects the decision of the court, even if he might not agree with it.

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Shaw and Buergin in court for discovery conference


Published on Jun 18, 2012

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Former Singapore Environment Council (SEC) executive director Howard Shaw, (left) at the Subordinate Court on April 18, 2012 and Swiss national Juerg Buergin leaving the Subordinate Court. -- PHOTOS: MOHD TAUFIK A KADER FOR BERITA HARIAN/ AZIZ HUSSIN FOR STRAITS TIMES

A hearing continues to loom for two men accused of paying for sex with an underage girl.

The scion of the prominent Shaw family and green activist Howard Shaw, 41, and Juerg Buergin, 40, the former executive director of operations at UBS Investment Bank, returned to court on Monday for discovery conferences, during which the prosecution and defence teams exchange case information.

Shaw will next appear in court on June 27. Buergin will return to court on July 3.

The two men were among 48 men charged with having commercial sex with a Singaporean teenager whose services had been advertised on a website.

The girl, who is now above 18 years old, allegedly received between $450 and $850 a session with each of the men between September 2010 and February last year.

So far, only former Pei Chun Public School principal Lee Lip Hong has pleaded guilty in this high-profile case. He was sentenced to nine weeks' jail on April 2, but was released after six weeks for good behaviour.
 

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Howard Shaw to decide whether or not to plead guilty

By Alvina Soh | Posted: 18 June 2012 2109 hrs

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Howard Shaw.


SINGAPORE: The grandson of the founder of Shaw Organisation, who was charged with paying an underage girl for sex in April, asked for an early plea to be taken.

This means that 41-year-old Howard Shaw will decide whether or not to plead guilty.

Former Singapore Environment Council (SEC) executive director Howard Shaw was among the 48 men who were earlier charged with paid sex with a 17-year-old girl.

He is now represented by a team of lawyers led by Mr Harpreet Singh Nehal, a senior counsel from WongPartnership.

In a statement to the media, his lawyers raised the issue of Shaw's charge, which falls under Section 376B of the Penal Code, which is an "absolute liability offence" under Singapore law.

This means that the accused would be deemed to have committed the offence - even though there's no intent.

Under the Section 377D, a mistake on the age of the minor is also not a defence.

The lawyers pointed out that under Section 376B, the courts has "an extremely wide sentencing discretion, ranging from a fine to a maximum jail sentence of seven years".

Section 376B states that any person who obtains for consideration the sexual services of a person, who is under 18 years of age, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine, or with both.

They said this case raises important questions of law and public policy, as to how the courts should approach their wide sentencing discretion under this section.

They said the court's decision on the questions of law and policy raised in this case will have significant ramifications, not just for Shaw but for the other men who have been charged with the same offences, or who may in future face a charge under this section, or related sections, of the Penal Code.

Hence, they have sought and obtained a hearing on 27 June to address these issues with the court.

A former executive director of operations at UBS Investment Bank, who has been charged with two counts of having paid sex with the same girl, will be contesting the charges.

40-year-old Swiss expatriate Juerg Buergin will be back in court on 3 July.

Juerg, who is currently unemployed, allegedly paid the girl for sex in late 2010 and early 2011.

He is currently out on a S$15,000 bail.

His lawyer, Mr Selva K. Naidu, commented that his client is "reasonably okay".

The former principal of Pei Chun Public School, Lee Lip Hong, was the first man to be convicted in the online vice ring case. He was sentenced to nine weeks' jail in April, and was released on 8 June for good behaviour after serving six weeks behind bars.

- CNA/ck
 

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Howard Shaw pleads guilty to paid sex with underage prostitute


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AsiaOne
Wednesday, Jun 27, 2012

SINGAPORE - Environmental activist Howard Shaw pleaded guilty today to having paid sex with an underage prostitute.

He is the second man to plead guilty after former principal Lee Lip Hong, who was sentenced to nine weeks in jail.

Lee served six weeks for good behaviour.

Shaw is the former executive director of the Singapore Environment Council and the grandson of Shaw Organisation founder Runme Shaw.

He arrived in court accompanied by his wife Jessie, 26.

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2 more plead guilty to paid sex with 17-year-old-girl

By Alvina Soh | Posted: 27 June 2012 1255 hrs

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
 

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Lawyer: Shaw made honest mistake


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By Tong Jia Han
my paper
Thursday, Jun 28, 2012

After weeks of conjecture about environmental activist Howard Shaw's intention to plead guilty for having paid sex with an underage prostitute, the Shaw family scion yesterday admitted to doing so.

The 41-year-old former executive director of the Singapore Environment Council told Senior District Judge See Kee Oon calmly, "I plead guilty, Your Honour", after his charges were read again in court.

Shaw, who is the grandson of Shaw Organisation founder Runme Shaw, arrived in court with his wife, Madam Jessie Xue, 26.

His lawyer, Senior Counsel Harpreet Singh Nehal of WongPartnership, asked for a non-custodial sentence, which is a sentence without jail time.

He argued that Shaw's offence was "committed unwittingly and unknowingly, as a result of an honest and reasonable mistake".

He also said that the prostitute had "worked hand in glove" with pimp Tang Boon Thiew, 38, to deceive Shaw about her age and "deliberately misled him into believing he was engaged in perfectly lawful activity when she knew it was not".

He added that based on the girl's "physical attributes (and other things), there are solid grounds for Shaw...to have made an honest and reasonable mistake in believing (she) was not a minor".

It was revealed in court that Shaw became acquainted with Tang's website advertising social-escort services while he was browsing the Internet in 2010.

He proceeded to obtain the prostitute's services on Oct 29, 2010, by contacting Tang through SMS.

The prostitute, who was 17 at the time, met Shaw at around 4pm the next day at Hotel 81 Bencoolen, where they had sexual intercourse.

After yesterday's hearing, Shaw was seen smiling and chatting with his wife and another woman, believed to be his sister.

Two other men, Indonesian Wilson Oei, 25, and production manager Chiang Meng Chuan, 32, also pleaded guilty to having paid sex with the same prostitute yesterday.

Both contacted the pimp and obtained the prostitute's services after they found out about Tang's website from an online forum.

All three will be back in court within the next two months.

In April, 48 men - including civil servants, businessmen and a formal senior legal counsel - were charged with having paid sex with an underage girl.

Yesterday's hearing brings the total number of men convicted of having paid sex with an underage prostitute to four. The first was Lee Lip Hong, 38, the former principal of Pei Chun Public School.

[email protected]
 

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Swiss man to claim trial in paid sex with underage girl case
By Claire Huang, Alvina Soh | Posted: 03 July 2012 1853 hrs

SINGAPORE: Forty-year-old Swiss expatriate Juerg Buergin, who was charged in April with paying an underage girl for sex, is contesting the two charges.

Juerg, who is currently unemployed, will claim trial.

The former UBS bank executive allegedly paid the girl for sex on two occasions.

Juerg is currently out on a S$15,000 bail.

The next court date has been fixed for August 7.

Juerg was one of 48 men charged with having paid sex with the girl. They allegedly procured the services from an online vice ring which had employed the girl.

So far, nine men have either pleaded guilty or indicated they will not claim trial.

- CNA/cc
 

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Swiss man pleads not guilty to underage sex charges

By Alvina Soh | Posted: 03 July 2012 1251 hrs

SINGAPORE: 40-year-old Swiss expatriate Juerg Buergin, who has been charged with paying an underage girl for sex in April, is contesting the charges.

Juerg, who is currently unemployed, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and will be claiming trial.

The former executive at Swiss banking giant UBS allegedly paid the girl for sex on two occasions -- once on 29 September 2010 at Shangri-La Hotel and again on 3 January 2011 at Mandarin Hotel.

He is currently out on a S$15,000 bail.

Juerg's lawyer, Mr Selva K. Naidu has sought and obtained a third discovery conference on 7 August.

Mr Naidu said a trial date will likely be fixed on that day.

- CNA/wm
 

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Online vice ring: Three more plead guilty


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AsiaOne
Tuesday, Jul 03, 2012

Three of the men in the online vice case have indicated that they will plead guilty.

This is the latest development in the case where 48 men were charged for having paid sex with an underage prostitute.

The three men are Tan Wee Kiat, 39, a former police superintendent; Goh Wee Seong, 34, a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) technician, and Ng Guan Mean, 37, the former director of a finance company.

Ng has quit his job, and Goh has been suspended by the SAF.

So far, nine men have not claimed trial.

The case will be mentioned in court again on July 30, when Howard Shaw returns to court.

Shaw, 41 the former executive director of the Singapore Environment Council and the grandson of Shaw Organisation founder Runme Shaw pleaded guilty, but his lawyer is asking for a sentence that does not involve jail time.

The first man in this case to plead guilty was Lee Lip Hong, 38, the former principal of Pei Chun Public School. Lee was sentenced to nine weeks' jail.
 

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Men involved in online vice ring case waiting for Shaw's hearing

By Alvina Soh | Posted: 09 July 2012 1913 hrs

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

 

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Online vice case: Two more plead guilty to sex with underage girl


20120508.095001_underage_main1.jpg


AsiaOne
Thursday, Jul 12, 2012

Two more men have pleaded guilty for paying an underage prostitute for sex in the online vice ring case.

Singaporeans Louis Lee Lip Kian, 32, and Pyi Kyaw Han, 31, pleaded guilty to having sex with the Singaporean girl who was under 18 at the time of their offence.

They committed their offences between November and December 2010.

Their cases have been adjourned to August 27. Both men are out on bail.

Lee was a relationship manager at a bank while Pyi was a director of a security company.

They will be sentenced only after a decision is made on Howard Shaw's case.

Shaw's lawyer, Senior Counsel Harpreet Singh Nehal, had asked for his client to be let off with a fine, without a jail term.

The outcome of the Shaw family scion's hearing may help other lawyers decide on the appropriate course of action that they would take for the other men involved in this case.

Besides Shaw, three other men have pleaded guilty to their charges: Chiang Meng Chuan, 32; Indonesian Wilson Oei, 25; and former Pei Chun Public School principal Lee Lip Hong, 39.

Mr Lee was released on June 8 after six weeks in jail. He was the first to plead guilty in the online vice-ring case.

 

nonsense

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The unanswered questions are :

Who are the 17 prostitutes?
Why are their fcuking shameless faces still not publish on the Shit Times?
Why Tan Wee Kiat aka Jarrod Song the former police superintendent face is not publish and protected from the MSM?
So that his change of name can get him back into the civil service through the back door?

:biggrin:
 
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Underage sex scandal: 3 more men charged


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Arjunan Kulasegaram (left) and Ban Yinh Jheow (right).

AsiaOne
Friday, Jul 27, 2012

SINGAPORE - Three more men have been charged for having sex with an underage prostitute in relation to a high-profile online vice ring case, The Straits Times reported.

This is in addition to the 48 men who have been charged so far, bringing the total number of men implicated to 51.

They are accused of having hired the girl, who was then below 18 years of age and has her identity protected by a gag order, through her alleged pimp, Tang Boon Thiew.

The three charged are Ban Yinh Jheow, 42; Arjunan Kulasegaram, 37; and Koh Kooi Hon, in his 40s.

All of them are believed to be from the private sector, and one is said to be a vice-president of an established brokerage firm here.

Ban faces three changes, while Arjunan and Koh face one charge each.

According to the ST report, top criminal lawyer Subhas Anandan, who is already representing 10 other men accused, has been hired to represent one of the men.

At least 62 men have been implicated in the case. They include civil servants, high flyers in the finance industry, and other notable figures.

To date, nine of the accused - including former principal Lee Lip Hong and environmental activist Howard Shaw - have pleaded guilty or have indicated in court that they intend to plead guilty to the charges.

Lee, who was the first to plead guilty, was sentenced to nine weeks in jail, but was released after six for good behaviour.

Paid sex with a minor carries a jail term of up to seven years and a possible fine.

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Howard Shaw sentenced to 3 months' jail; out on bail pending appeal
Posted: 30 July 2012 1519 hrs

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The ex-Singapore Environment Council executive director Howard Shaw, who was among 48 men charged earlier with paid sex with an underage girl, pleaded guilty on 27 June.

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".

District judge See said: "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.

Describing Shaw as "reckless", the judge said even if the girl had actively misrepresented her age, Shaw has to bear the risk of transacting with her.

During sentencing, Shaw was visibly worried as he listened intently to the judge's grounds of decision.

Mr Nehal has indicated in court that his client intends to appeal against the decision.

Shaw is now 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.

The 41-year-old turned up in court accompanied by his wife.

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.

Unlike Shaw, Lee had asked about her age.

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



 

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Shaw jailed 12 weeks for having sex with minor


Posted on 30 July 2012 - 05:25pm
Last updated on 30 July 2012 - 10:09pm

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Howard Shaw (R), a member of a prominent Singaporean family and his wife leave the courthouse during a lunch break for his hearing at the Subordinate court in Singapore on July 30, 2012. AFP

SINGAPORE (July 30, 2012): A grandson of the founder of the iconic Shaw Organisation, who was one of 51 men charged for underage sex with the same prostitute, was sentenced to 12 weeks' jail by a subordinate court today.

According to local newspaper The Straits Times, senior counsel Harpreet Singh argued that his client, Howard Shaw, made an honest and reasonable mistake in engaging the 17-year-old girl's services. He sought a non-custodial sentence, such as a fine, for the 41-year-old.

Last month, Howard admitted to paying the girl S$500 for sex in October 2010. Paying for sex with anyone under 18 is punishable with jail of up to seven years, a fine, or both. – Bernama
 

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Why Howard Shaw gets 12 weeks' jail, and not nine


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By Tong Jia Han
my paper
Tuesday, Jul 31, 2012

Howard Shaw, grandson of Shaw Organisation founder Runme Shaw, had sex with an underage girl at a hotel in Bencoolen Street in October 2010 - without asking her how old she was.

Yesterday, Senior District Judge See Kee Oon highlighted that fact as he sentenced Shaw to 12 weeks' jail.

In comparison, the judge handed Mr Lee Lip Hong - a former primary-school principal and another one of the 51 men charged with the same crime - a nine-week jail sentence in April.

Mr Lee, 39, had asked the pimp for the prostitute's age beforehand, and was told by both the pimp and the prostitute that she was 19, according to earlier news reports.

During the hearing, the prosecution noted that a "significant" mitigating factor in Mr Lee's case was his "strong record of service in the education sector".

Deputy Public Prosecutor S. Sellakumaran added that although Shaw, 41, had been convicted of only one charge and Mr Lee of two charges - of which one was taken into consideration - the number of charges between the two cases was "not significant enough to warrant a lower starting point".

The prosecution then urged the court to impose a three- month jail term on Shaw.

In mitigation, Shaw's lawyer, Senior Counsel Harpreet Singh Nehal, asked for a non-custodial sentence because Shaw had made an "honest and reasonable mistake", based on his observation of the girl's physical attributes and demeanour.

Shaw pleaded guilty last month.

However, the judge rejected the argument, saying that Shaw's mistake was not "reasonable".

He said that perceptions of a person's age based on their appearances are "subjective and prone to error".

Shaw could have "guarded against a potential offence" by asking the girl for her age, but he did not take the steps to do so, the judge added.

While Shaw remained solemn throughout the hearing, his wife, Madam Jessie Xue, 26, who was present, was visibly concerned.

In the public gallery, she repeatedly turned to those beside her, asking questions as the judgment was passed.

Shaw's lawyers said that he would be appealing against his sentence, but declined to comment further. He is currently out on $10,000 bail.

Shaw, a prominent environmental activist, is the second to be sentenced in the high-profile underage-sex-scandal case.

The first was Mr Lee, who was released last month, after six weeks, for good behaviour.

Last Friday, three more men were charged with having paid sex with the same girl.

They are the founder of toy company Stikfas, Ban Yinh Jheow, 42; firm director and shareholder Arjunan Kulasegaram, 37; and Koh Hooi Hon, 43, who is a shareholder in a food-and- beverage company.

 

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Another man involved in online vice ring case plans to plead guilty

By Claire Huang | Posted: 10 August 2012 1153 hrs

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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
 
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