Five more charged in latest underaged escort scandal

SINGAPORE — Another five men were charged today (Sept 6) with having paid sex with a girl under the age of 18. The men, all Chinese nationals, are aged between 35 and 42. On Wednesday, 14 men — aged between 22 and 75 — were charged with having paid sex with the same girl. All the incidents took place in May at hotels in the Geylang area. The men paid sums of between S$40 and S$150 for the girl’s sexual services. The girl, who cannot be named, was 17 years old at the time. Out of the 19 men who have been charged, 14 have indicated they intend to plead guilty. This is the third vice ring to surface since the high-profile online vice ring case, involving 51 men, broke in 2012. If found guilty of obtaining the sexual services of a person under 18 years old, the men could be jailed seven years and fined. CHANNEL NEWSASIA