FOUR men were named and shamed and are being punished for performing obscene acts with an underaged boy. The cases of two others are coming up.
The New Paper reported this on Wednesday. That night, a reporter of the paper went online, posing as a 14-year-old boy seeking an older friend.
This was on the same gay website used by the six men to meet the 15-year-old involved.
So, did the court case make users of the website wary?
Not at all, going by this test.
Within 10 seconds, The New Paper reporter's computer screen was flooded with offers of sex.
There were so many pop-up windows of conversation that the reporter could not cope with the volume of men eager to meet the 'teen'.
In all, about 50 individuals got in touch within a five-hour period, spread over two days.
When the teen said he wanted to buy a new handphone, the buayas (sex predators) were quick to offer money, in exchange for sex acts.
Were they concerned that their target was underaged?
Their only concern was over keeping it quiet. You cannot tell anybody, they insisted.
No one warned the teen off the website, or tell him he was too young to be there.
One, just one, seemed to have a change of heart. This person too had started out like all the others, but after chatting for a while, said sex would be illegal and offered to give the teen $50 or a used handphone, if that was all he wanted.
Of course, the others were willing to hand over cash as well, and much more. But they all wanted sex.
The ages they gave ranged from 18 to 59, and they wanted to find out the boy's height, weight, race and something about his looks.
Some were more direct and asked: 'How much?'
They even came out with what could be incriminating information.
Two of them said they already had sex with boys as young as 14, when asked if they had any prior experience.
One man, who claimed he was a 35-year-old named Jackson, wanted to go beyond paying the teen to service him. He asked about younger siblings.
After finding out that the teen had younger brothers aged 9 and 7 (invented as bait), he offered $200 in total to perform lewd acts on them.
Did the predators know they would be committing an offence?
They all acknowledged that the acts suggested were against the law. They then told the teen to be 'discreet'.
The offers ranged from $30 to $350 for sex with the 14-year-old.
One person wanted the boy to 'pleasure him' while he took photographs. He was willing to pay $100.
Two others offered their handphones as payment for being pleasured.
One wanted to set the 14-year-old up with a 35-year-old man and was ready to pay $350.
He claimed to be a 32-year-old man, and left his handphone number and name as Roy.
For that amount, he wanted the boy to stay with him for a week at a hotel.
Online talk is one thing, but would they go further and meet their prey face to face?
The New Paper reporter posing as a teen set up meetings with four men.
They were to meet outside Toa Payoh Stadium on Thursday. All four turned up.
One man even waited for hours. (See report on facing page.)
Apparently, most of them wanted a quick deal.
While still online, many had asked to meet the same night, offering to drive by and pick the boy up, though it was 11pm.
Later, all agreed to meet a day or two afterwards, but only after much reassurance that they would not be let down.
When it came to the location, they were not as picky.
Some offered their cars and homes, while others asked if the boy's place was available.
The one who wanted to engage in sexual activities with the 14, 9 and 7-year-olds even asked if the boys' parents would be out another day.
When crocs feed on small prey, their hunger knows no bound, it seems.
The New Paper reported this on Wednesday. That night, a reporter of the paper went online, posing as a 14-year-old boy seeking an older friend.
This was on the same gay website used by the six men to meet the 15-year-old involved.
So, did the court case make users of the website wary?
Not at all, going by this test.
Within 10 seconds, The New Paper reporter's computer screen was flooded with offers of sex.
There were so many pop-up windows of conversation that the reporter could not cope with the volume of men eager to meet the 'teen'.
In all, about 50 individuals got in touch within a five-hour period, spread over two days.
When the teen said he wanted to buy a new handphone, the buayas (sex predators) were quick to offer money, in exchange for sex acts.
Were they concerned that their target was underaged?
Their only concern was over keeping it quiet. You cannot tell anybody, they insisted.
No one warned the teen off the website, or tell him he was too young to be there.
One, just one, seemed to have a change of heart. This person too had started out like all the others, but after chatting for a while, said sex would be illegal and offered to give the teen $50 or a used handphone, if that was all he wanted.
Of course, the others were willing to hand over cash as well, and much more. But they all wanted sex.
The ages they gave ranged from 18 to 59, and they wanted to find out the boy's height, weight, race and something about his looks.
Some were more direct and asked: 'How much?'
They even came out with what could be incriminating information.
Two of them said they already had sex with boys as young as 14, when asked if they had any prior experience.
One man, who claimed he was a 35-year-old named Jackson, wanted to go beyond paying the teen to service him. He asked about younger siblings.
After finding out that the teen had younger brothers aged 9 and 7 (invented as bait), he offered $200 in total to perform lewd acts on them.
Did the predators know they would be committing an offence?
They all acknowledged that the acts suggested were against the law. They then told the teen to be 'discreet'.
The offers ranged from $30 to $350 for sex with the 14-year-old.
One person wanted the boy to 'pleasure him' while he took photographs. He was willing to pay $100.
Two others offered their handphones as payment for being pleasured.
One wanted to set the 14-year-old up with a 35-year-old man and was ready to pay $350.
He claimed to be a 32-year-old man, and left his handphone number and name as Roy.
For that amount, he wanted the boy to stay with him for a week at a hotel.
Online talk is one thing, but would they go further and meet their prey face to face?
The New Paper reporter posing as a teen set up meetings with four men.
They were to meet outside Toa Payoh Stadium on Thursday. All four turned up.
One man even waited for hours. (See report on facing page.)
Apparently, most of them wanted a quick deal.
While still online, many had asked to meet the same night, offering to drive by and pick the boy up, though it was 11pm.
Later, all agreed to meet a day or two afterwards, but only after much reassurance that they would not be let down.
When it came to the location, they were not as picky.
Some offered their cars and homes, while others asked if the boy's place was available.
The one who wanted to engage in sexual activities with the 14, 9 and 7-year-olds even asked if the boys' parents would be out another day.
When crocs feed on small prey, their hunger knows no bound, it seems.
