Online pimp jailed 2 years, fined S$83,000
SINGAPORE — For 30 months, he ran a website advertising the sexual services of 12 women he had recruited, and pocketed S$150,000 over the entire period.
SINGAPORE — For 30 months, he ran a website advertising the sexual services of 12 women he had recruited, and pocketed S$150,000 over the entire period.
On Friday (May 26), Roderic Chen Hao Ran, 32, was sentenced to two years’ jail and fined S$83,000, after admitting to nine counts under the Women’s Charter, which include three counts of hiring the women for prostitution, and five counts of living off their earnings.
He also faced 18 other charges that were taken into consideration during sentencing.
This is the fourth time Chen has been on the wrong side of the law: He was convicted of voluntarily causing hurt in 2003 and was also jailed in 2011 for unlicensed moneylending-related offences.
The court heard that during his time in prison in 2011, Chen became acquainted with someone who taught him how to operate a social escort company.
After his release, Chen started an employment company to offer jobs to women to work as models and beer promoters.
He chalked up hefty debts, and then set up an online social escort company, where he recruited women to provide sexual services to customers. Court documents did not show when he started doing this.
To push for business, he posted advertisements of the women’s services through social media.
The court also heard that he would take photographs of the women in lingerie and publish them on the website.
At the end of 2015, he came to know one Lee Soon Ann, 37, and they agreed to cooperate and share the social escorts under their charge, as well as the commissions.
The duo hired 12 women, and some of them were told that they might need to provide sexual services to their customers. Their rates ranged from S$450 to S$650 per hour.
After each booking, the women had to transfer 40 per cent of their earnings to a bank account under Chen’s name.
On July 26, 2016, the police, acting on a tip-off, raided Chen’s house and seized items including a computer, a camera, as well as a mobile phone that he used to manage the bookings. It was then that Chen confessed to being the operator and owner of the business.
Lee was also caught, and his matter would be dealt with separately, the court heard.
Asking for a stiff sentence of 25 months’ jail, and a fine of S$83,000, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Gail Wong said that it was necessary to “deter (Chen) from further criminal activity”.
DPP Wong highlighted Chen’s previous brushes with the law: “Despite being incarcerated for these offences, (Chen) failed to be rehabilitated for his past offences and even learnt the skills to operate his illegal prostitution business in prison.”
She pointed out that there was “deliberate planning” on Chen’s part, and a “clear intent” to profit from the business, not to mention that he took advantage of the Internet “to reach many more customers over and above traditional pimping”.
In mitigation, defence counsel Choo Si Sen pleaded for a lighter total sentence of eight months’ jail.
Mr Choo said that the women working for Chen were “not coerced or forced into joining the sex trade”, and were of legal age when they were hired.
“(Chen) never took advantage of any of the girls,” he added.
It is an offence under the law here to procure a female for prostitution and live off her earnings. Those found guilty of either offence can be jailed up to five years and fined up to S$10,000 per charge.