Re: Ex-school principal in commercial sex case jailed 9 weeks
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HE HAD sex with an underage prostitute but his wife forgave him, and even made them renew their marriage vows as a sign that they were starting anew.
But before they can begin their new journey as husband and wife, former school principal Lee Lip Hong, 39, will have to serve time in jail.
Lee was among 48 men charged in court over the last two weeks with having paid sex with an underage prostitute. He was the first to plead guilty.
Yesterday, he also became the first to be convicted and was sentenced to nine weeks' jail for having paid sex with the girl in September 2010. A second charge of having paid sex with her in December that year was considered.
Lee, who was the principal of Pei Chun Public School until he resigned last December, arrived at the Subordinate Courts alone. He said he wanted to spare his family, including his wife of 14 years, from further embarrassment.
'I deliberately told them I didn't want any of them in court,' he said before he was sentenced. 'The least I can do is not to cause further harm and damage to them.'
It was revealed in open court for the first time yesterday that in 2010, Lee had visited a website that offered the services of social escorts who would have sex with clients. He then hired one for himself.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Andrew Tan said that 'after seeing the minor's details on the website, (Lee) was desirous of her sexual services' and made a booking via SMS with alleged pimp Tang Boon Thiew, 38, on Sept 26 that year.
After Lee struck a deal with Tang, he proceeded to book a room at Hotel 81 Bencoolen the same day. He paid a total of $500, including a $50 tip, for having sex with the then 17-year-old girl. She cannot be named because of a gag order.
Prostitution is not illegal here but having paid sex with a minor under 18 is a crime under laws that were tightened in 2008. DPP Tan said the law was enacted to prevent sexual exploitation of minors, including the creation of a market for child prostitution, by curbing demand for such services through stiff penalties.
He had sought a minimum three-month jail term for Lee, who could have been jailed for up to seven years, fined or both jailed and fined, under the law.
Lee's lawyer Melanie Ho said in mitigation that the father of a seven-year-old boy had been misled into believing that the girl was 18 after reading about her from the Internet.
In his grounds of decision, Senior District Judge See Kee Oon said Lee did ask about the girl's age but stopped short of making any further checks.
'He was content to rely solely on the representation on the website that she was already 18 and her verbal assurance and also the assurance by Tang's SMS that she was 19, glossing over the apparent inconsistency. Simply put, he allowed himself to be misled.'
The judge commended Lee for pleading guilty at the first available opportunity, and noted that he did not set out deliberately to exploit a minor.
But he said the law regards the underage prostitute as the victim for the simple reason that she is underage, and therefore deemed to be incapable of having the capacity for mature judgment and discernment of an adult.
'What the victim had done may be considered immoral by certain standards. However, this must be weighed against the morality of those whose demand for such services makes this a lucrative trade,' he said.
Among the 48 men charged was former River Valley High School teacher Chua Ren Cheng, who has also said he wanted to plead guilty.
Lee was seen crying in the dock when Ms Ho read out his mitigation. It had testimonials, including from MP for Tampines GRC Baey Yam Keng.
Lee also read out a statement saying he was fully ashamed of his actions and the pain he caused.
He earlier showed The Straits Times a new wedding band on his finger, half of the pair he now shares with his wife. He said: 'We have not worn our wedding bands for quite a number of years, and she said, 'Let's go and get another pair... something that says we want to start over again.''
