The two-year scandal involving Dee Kosh resulted in a 32-week jail sentence for the YouTuber on Friday (Aug 5) over a number of sexual offences, including offering cash for sexual services to a male under the age of 18.
Darryl Ian Koshy, 33, also known as Dee Kosh, entered a guilty plea in May to one charge of offering cash to a minor for sexual services and to another charge under the Children and Young Persons Act for the attempted sexual exploitation of a young person.
Koshy also entered a guilty plea for making a video of himself in 2016 or 2017 in sexual acts with a man who was between 23 and 25 years old at that time.
District Judge Jasvender Kaur called it an aggravating factor that the YouTuber had engaged in sexual services with a boy aged 17 even after he was aware that the boy was underage.
Koshy had posted a photo of the boy on social media in February 2017, asking if anyone knew who he was.
After one of the boy’s friends saw the post, he asked him if he could give the boy’s number to Koshy, and then the two started messaging via WhatsApp.
“In my view, it is reasonable to infer the accused had a nefarious intent to ensure the evidence of his illicit propositioning of (the victim) would not be discovered when he asked (him) to move the conversation to Snapchat and to delete the WhatsApp chat,” The Straits Times quotes Judge Kaur as saying.
Dee Kosh, who is set to start serving his jail sentence on Friday (Aug 5), made a final Instagram post to say that he is “extremely sorry” for what he’s done, “despite what the headlines might suggest.”
“And now it’s time to pay the price.”
He also wrote that he “lost everything, my career, loved ones, the trust of my family and so much more” and that he hopes he “can pick up the pieces in the future.”
Dee Kosh added, however, that there are many things he wants to clarify.
“And hopefully, I’ll be able to talk about everything one day.
But for now. Goodbye.”
On Wednesday (Aug 3), the prosecution said it sought a sentence of five to eight months in jail for the YouTuber.
Under the Children and Young Persons Act for attempted sexual exploitation of a young person, Koshy could have been jailed for up to five years, fined up to S$10,000 or both.
For communications for the purpose of obtaining sexual services of a minor, he could have been jailed for up to two years or fined, or both.
The penalty for making an obscene film is a jail term of up to two years and a fine of between S$20,000 and S$40,000. /TISG