Man who had sex with teen girl, 13, gets 15 months’ jail

SINGAPORE — He was 22, while she was a minor at 13 years old.

Tan Yong Jin, now 24, befriended the teenager, who cannot be named to protect her identity, through Facebook. He then maintained communication with her through WhatsApp.

They met up for consensual sexual intercourse while her parents were not at home, but were eventually found out by the teenager’s parents.

Tan, a Singapore Armed Forces regular was sentenced to 15 months’ jail on Thursday (Jan 11) after he admitted to two counts of sexual penetration of a minor below the age of 14.

Another count of sexual penetration, and two more counts of offences under the Children and Young Persons Act, were taken into consideration for sentencing purposes.

The court heard that on Jan 8 last year, the teenager met up with Tan and both went to watch a movie.

After the movie, they went to her house, “intending to have sex there as (her) parents were out”, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Amanda Chong, who urged the court to impose a 15-month jail sentence.

The court was told that the duo were not in a romantic relationship.

When they reached her house, she let him in, after ascertaining her parents were not at home.

After Tan and the girl had sex, the girl’s parents returned home. They called the police when Tan was found in the house. The girl later admitted to her mother what took place.

The court was also told on Thursday that Tan asked the teen to send compromising photos of herself to him in March 2016 before the offence.

In sentencing Tan, District Judge Wong Li Tein said that even though he was invited over for sex, “he was entirely to be blamed”.

“Here is a child of 13, and she invited him (who was 23 at the time of the offence) … and they had sex.”

“He should have known better,” she said.

The judge noted that even though Tan had only known the teen for “barely two to three months”, he had “treated the relationship with sexual overtures”.

But she took into consideration Tan’s clean record and early plea of guilt, and sentenced him to 15 months’ jail.

For sexual penetration of a minor below 14, Tan could have been sentenced up to 20 years’ jail, with fine and/or caning.