Singapore — A man with HIV engaged in unprotected sex with a 14-year-old girl, keeping his medical condition from her.
A 41-year-old man who worked at an animal shelter was sentenced to 13 years and two months imprisonment on Monday (Dec 13). He cannot be named due to a gag order.
The man pleaded guilty to 11 charges, mostly of sexual penetration with a minor and failing to inform his sexual partner of the risk of contracting HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) from him after such acts.
Another 25 charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
It was reported that he was previously jailed for a similar offence. He was released from jail in January 2019 under a condition remission scheme for past crimes of shop theft.
The man began as a volunteer at the animal shelter and was later hired as an employee.
He was eventually promoted to head trainer, where he supervised cleaners and trained volunteers.
The underage victim first visited the shelter with her aunt in July 2019. During a subsequent visit, the man recognised the girl and asked her if she was interested in volunteering.
Despite the co-owner of the shelter saying that volunteers should be over the age of 16, the man persuaded him to accept the girl, noting she was very interested and came from a “broken home.”
He claimed it would be a waste to miss the opportunity of teaching her as she might go astray, reported Channel News Asia.
After the co-owner agreed, the victim volunteered from July to December 2019 and worked almost every Saturday as the offender’s apprentice.
The private communication through WhatsApp and Instagram with the victim began in August 2019. He had also kissed her on the lips while at the shelter.
The courts heard that the girl agreed to be his girlfriend, under the premise that the man was single and lived with his mother.
In reality, he had a girlfriend of four years and rented a unit.
In September 2019, he invited the victim to his home, where he tried having sexual intercourse with her. He stopped when the victim said she felt pain.
According to the prosecutor, the man had unprotected sex with the victim on the next occasion. He continued inviting her over for sex over several months.
The man knew he was HIV positive since July 2011 yet did not disclose the information with her as he was “afraid of losing her” and how she would take the news.
He received treatment for the medical condition, and it was not detectable in his last test in July 2019, reported CNA.
He told the victim that a man who wanted to have sex with her multiple times “loved her very much” compared to an “untrustworthy man” who only wanted her once.
It was in November 2019 when the victim’s brother saw the conversation between the two that the man’s actions were brought to light.
Her brother told their father, and a police report was made. The victim tested negative for HIV.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Andre Ong from the Attorney-General’s Chambers and Ministry of Health prosecutor Jason Lee asked for 13 years and two to three months’ jail.
Mr Lee noted that the offender did not grasp the risk of “life-altering change” he was subjecting his victims to, even though he had already spent time behind bars for a similar offence under the Infectious Diseases Act.
He added that what happened was not a one-off offence but repeated sexual acts done across four months.
Mr Lee said the offender also abused his position of trust, using his role to get close to the victim.
Still, it was acknowledged that the risk of transmitting the virus was low based on the last assessment.
Meanwhile, DPP Ong said the man invited the victim to his home 17 times, taking precautions to evade his landlord.
The offender also committed the crimes four months after his conditional remission order had expired.
The man admitted this would be “the very last time” he commits an offence, noting he was “very shameful and remorseful for all the things that happened.”
“My loved one and my mum accepted me back. I know it’s going to be a long sentence,” he added.
The judge mentioned that this case was “one of the more egregious” ones he encountered in terms of sexual penetration of a minor and agreed “wholeheartedly” to the prosecution’s submissions.
According to the Children and Young Person’s Act, Singapore’s laws do not allow for a minor below 16 to consent to sexual acts, stipulating heavy punishments to deter potential offenders.
For each count of sexual penetration, the maximum sentence for sexual penetration of a minor is 20 years imprisonment and a fine or caning.
In response to the news, members from the online community wondered why the man wasn’t sentenced to caning, given the repeated offence. /TISG
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