myST+MenuChoose edition

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox

For three months in 2023, the man engaged in sexual acts with the girl almost weekly at a staircase landing in Tampines while she was in her school uniform.

Published Feb 10, 2026, 06:00 PM

Updated Feb 10, 2026, 07:56 PM

SINGAPORE – Despite being 22 years old, a man lied to a 13-year-old girl he met online that he was 15.

When the girl questioned him and said he looked older, he claimed “it was just in his genes”.

For three months in 2023, the man engaged in sexual acts with the girl almost weekly at a staircase landing in Tampines while she was in her school uniform.

On Feb 10, the man, now 25, was sentenced to 11 years’ jail and 10 strokes of the cane. He pleaded guilty to several offences including statutory rape and sexual grooming of a minor below 16 years old.

The man cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the identities of the girl and another victim.

The court heard that during the period he committed the offences, the man held various jobs including as a banquet server, warehouse assistant, swimming teacher, clerk and luge operator.

In August 2023, the man met the girl, then 13, on Telegram. Although he claimed on his profile that he was 15, the girl questioned him as he looked older in his photos.

The man kept to his lie and further deceived her, saying that he was a student at the Singapore Sports School.

The girl was wary of him at first, but continued to chat with him on Telegram as she found him funny and interesting, said deputy public prosecutors Claire Poh and Ernest Chua.

As they chatted, he discussed sex acts with the girl before initiating a meet-up with her.

When the girl first met him at a bus stop in Tampines, she asked him again about his age as she felt he looked even older in real life. However, the man maintained his lie that he was 15.

The man then took the girl to a staircase landing nearby and asked her to kiss him and perform a sex act on him. She complied.

The DPPs said the girl would not have consented to any initial sexual activity had she known his real age, as she would have been wary of him given the age difference.

The pair continued to meet at the same staircase landing almost every week from September to November 2023, where they would engage in sexual acts.

On one occasion in January 2024, the man persuaded the girl to go further and have sex with him despite her discomfort about doing so. After they had sex, the girl cried, as she felt guilty and was worried about getting pregnant. He comforted her and they continued having sexual encounters.

In March 2024, the girl saw a medical document belonging to the man and deduced that he was actually around 23 years old.

They ended their relationship in September that year. Court documents did not state a reason for this.

That month, the girl’s brother saw sexually explicit messages between her and the man. Her brother told their parents and a police report was lodged.

During his relationship with the first victim, the man was also texting another girl who was 12 years old at the time.

He lied to the second victim that he was 16 years old, and asked if she wanted to be “friends with benefits” with him.

He sent her sexually explicit videos and asked her to send him naked photos of herself.

In February 2024, he met the second victim and asked her to perform a sexual act on him. When she declined, he left and sent her a message saying: “Waste my time man”.

Later that month, the second victim’s teacher conducted a spot check on her cellphone and saw the messages the man had sent her.

The girl’s grandparents were informed, and the matter was reported to the police.

The prosecutors highlighted the man’s predatory behaviour and sought a sentence of at least 11 years’ jail and 10 strokes of the cane.

“Pretending to be only 15 to 16 years old, he prowled through Telegram for unsuspecting schoolgirls who were well below 16 years old,” said the DPPs.

They added that a stiff sentence must be passed to deter similar offenders who may “prowl the internet seeking to engage in sexual activities with minors who, by virtue of their age, are vulnerable against the schemes of an adult”.

Nadine Chua is a crime and court journalist at The Straits Times.

Crimes against children/minors

Need help? Reach us here.