Man jailed for having sex with teenage girl he met in Japanese street style group

SINGAPORE: A man was on Friday (May 27) sentenced to two years and four months' jail for having sex with a teenage girl he met in a Japanese street style group.

The man, now in his 30s, started having sex with the girl when she was under the age of 16. Both of their identities are protected by gag order.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of having sex with a minor. Another four charges were considered for sentencing.

The duo met in 2018, when the victim joined a local group that embraces "Harajuku culture", referring to a street style popular in Japan.

The offender was then already part of the group, whose members regularly met up in town dressed in Harajuku style and lunched together.

"The victim also attended several of these lunches on weekdays with the accused and began to develop feelings for the accused," stated court documents.

In May 2018, the victim sent the offender a text message saying that she felt insecure about her hair, which she had recently cut.

The man suggested that they go to his house where he could help straighten her hair and cut it. She agreed.

He cut the girl's hair at his house, and they went into his room where she started studying.

Some time later, the offender suggested the victim rest with him on the bed. They then had sex.

They continued to have sex at the offender's house on subsequent occasions.

The man was aware that he was having sex with a minor and that this was against the law, stated court documents.

The offences were discovered when a family member of the victim received an anonymous message on Instagram that claimed the victim was sleeping with someone.

The family member knew that the victim spent time with people from the Harajuku culture group and informed the victim's mother.

The victim's mother then confronted the girl, and she confessed to having sex with the offender.

The victim's mother made a police report after confronting the offender.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Colin Ng sought at least two-and-a-half years' jail, highlighting that the offence is intended to protect minors, who are considered vulnerable people.

"Any consent ostensibly given by the ... victim in this case cannot be endorsed as positive consent because the victim lacked the requisite maturity," he said.

Mr Ng argued that the offender exploited the victim's young age and also "morally corrupted" her by teaching her how to perform sex acts.

He also cited the impact on the victim, who still suffers from panic attacks, developed "trust issues" and became "extremely emotionally volatile" after the offences.

Her studies, friendships and potential romantic relationships were also adversely affected, he said.

Mr Ng added that the offender did not show any remorse and pushed responsibility to the victim when confronted by her mother.

Defence lawyer Wee Hong Shern pointed out that no force or violence was used in the offences, although the prosecution countered that this was not a mitigating factor.

Mr Wee sought a shorter sentence of one-and-a-half years' jail, arguing that his client was found to suffer from an intellectual disability.

The offender also developed anxiety after the commission of the offences, which showed he did not treat the matter in a "cavalier" fashion, said the lawyer.

In response, the prosecution said that no causal link was found between the offender's disability and his offences, and he was able to differentiate right from wrong.

District Judge Jasvender Kaur granted a deferral of the sentence in order for the offender to receive treatment for medical issues. He will start serving his sentence in June.

Those who have sex with a minor below 16 can be jailed up to 10 years, fined or both.

Editor's note: A previous version of this article said that the offender committed statutory rape. This is incorrect. The offence committed was sexual penetration of a minor below 16. We apologise for the error.