ST reported that only 14 men are still under investigation, and they do not include high-profile personalities.
This contradicted Shin Min's report last week that the 3rd batch of over 30 men include prominent senior lawyers, high-ranking army officer and banking & finance professionals.
They are let off because the number of elities getting involved is getting too hot to handle??
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The Straits Times
Published on Apr 25, 2012
14 men still under probe for paid sex with underage girl
Not all may be charged; latest batch includes S'poreans and foreigners
By Tham Yuen-C
ANOTHER 14 men are still being investigated for allegedly paying for sex with an underage girl in a case that has already landed 48 men in court.
The latest batch is believed to include both Singaporeans and foreigners, some of whom may no longer be in the country.
From initial reports of around 80 men being involved in the case, investigators have narrowed down the list to 62 men who may have had links with the underage girl, sources told The Straits Times.
The sources added that the final number charged may be smaller than 62.
The girl at the centre of the scandal is said to have had sex with the men about two years ago while she was aged below 18.
As a result, 48 of her clients were arrested and charged last week under Section 376B of the Penal Code, which prohibits paid sex with a minor under 18 years old.
Some among the newest batch being investigated may face similar charges, and it is believed they will be the last batch of men produced in court in connection with this case.
Sources said they do not include high-profile personalities, unlike the 48 who had among them a school principal, a teacher, a green activist, military officers, an in-house lawyer for the National Environment Agency, and a police superintendent who was the ex-head of strategic planning at Police Training Command.
A source said the last batch includes more 'ordinary' people and businessmen.
The man who had allegedly pimped the girl on his social escort website, Tang Boon Thiew, is himself expected to face more charges. These include offences under both the Penal Code and the Women's Charter.
In November, the 39-year-old was already slapped with 34 counts under the Women's Charter, for living off the earnings of a prostitute - an offence that carries a jail term of up to five years, and a fine of up to $10,000.
He was also charged with one count of paid sex with a minor under 18 years old, believed to be the same girl.
Tang went into the social escort business after learning from another pimp how lucrative the business was.
He was then already the owner of a successful digital marketing firm. The firm had counted among its clients social escort agencies that it helped by placing advertisements online linked to Google's search engine results.
Tang has not been seen in public since his name and pictures surfaced recently and is believed to be holed up at his home in the western part of Singapore.
Among the 48 men charged, former River Valley High School teacher Chua Ren Cheng, 31, will be back in court today for the next mention of his case.
He and former Pei Chun Public School principal Lee Lip Hong, 39, have told the court they intend to plead guilty.
Most of the remaining 46 are claiming trial. They will return to court in June for a discovery conference, during which their lawyers will meet the prosecution to exchange information regarding the case.
Meanwhile, speculation continues to be rife online about the identity of the girl, despite a court-imposed gag order.
Yesterday, the Singapore Committee for UN Women came out in support of the gag order.
In a statement, it also said the charging of the 48 men showed the Government's commitment to protecting vulnerable young people from exploitation.
'Adult men who take the initiative to engage in the morally questionable act of purchasing sexual services should be responsible for respecting the law and ensure they are not subjecting young girls to commercial sexual exploitation,' said Ms Pia Bruce, executive director of the committee that had campaigned for Section 376B to be in the Penal Code.
While prostitution is not illegal here, having sex with a prostitute under 18 is a crime under the law, which was introduced in 2008 to prevent the exploitation of underage girls for prostitution.
If found guilty, the 48 men charged so far can be jailed for up to seven years, fined or given both.
This contradicted Shin Min's report last week that the 3rd batch of over 30 men include prominent senior lawyers, high-ranking army officer and banking & finance professionals.
They are let off because the number of elities getting involved is getting too hot to handle??
=========
The Straits Times
Published on Apr 25, 2012
14 men still under probe for paid sex with underage girl
Not all may be charged; latest batch includes S'poreans and foreigners
By Tham Yuen-C
ANOTHER 14 men are still being investigated for allegedly paying for sex with an underage girl in a case that has already landed 48 men in court.
The latest batch is believed to include both Singaporeans and foreigners, some of whom may no longer be in the country.
From initial reports of around 80 men being involved in the case, investigators have narrowed down the list to 62 men who may have had links with the underage girl, sources told The Straits Times.
The sources added that the final number charged may be smaller than 62.
The girl at the centre of the scandal is said to have had sex with the men about two years ago while she was aged below 18.
As a result, 48 of her clients were arrested and charged last week under Section 376B of the Penal Code, which prohibits paid sex with a minor under 18 years old.
Some among the newest batch being investigated may face similar charges, and it is believed they will be the last batch of men produced in court in connection with this case.
Sources said they do not include high-profile personalities, unlike the 48 who had among them a school principal, a teacher, a green activist, military officers, an in-house lawyer for the National Environment Agency, and a police superintendent who was the ex-head of strategic planning at Police Training Command.
A source said the last batch includes more 'ordinary' people and businessmen.
The man who had allegedly pimped the girl on his social escort website, Tang Boon Thiew, is himself expected to face more charges. These include offences under both the Penal Code and the Women's Charter.
In November, the 39-year-old was already slapped with 34 counts under the Women's Charter, for living off the earnings of a prostitute - an offence that carries a jail term of up to five years, and a fine of up to $10,000.
He was also charged with one count of paid sex with a minor under 18 years old, believed to be the same girl.
Tang went into the social escort business after learning from another pimp how lucrative the business was.
He was then already the owner of a successful digital marketing firm. The firm had counted among its clients social escort agencies that it helped by placing advertisements online linked to Google's search engine results.
Tang has not been seen in public since his name and pictures surfaced recently and is believed to be holed up at his home in the western part of Singapore.
Among the 48 men charged, former River Valley High School teacher Chua Ren Cheng, 31, will be back in court today for the next mention of his case.
He and former Pei Chun Public School principal Lee Lip Hong, 39, have told the court they intend to plead guilty.
Most of the remaining 46 are claiming trial. They will return to court in June for a discovery conference, during which their lawyers will meet the prosecution to exchange information regarding the case.
Meanwhile, speculation continues to be rife online about the identity of the girl, despite a court-imposed gag order.
Yesterday, the Singapore Committee for UN Women came out in support of the gag order.
In a statement, it also said the charging of the 48 men showed the Government's commitment to protecting vulnerable young people from exploitation.
'Adult men who take the initiative to engage in the morally questionable act of purchasing sexual services should be responsible for respecting the law and ensure they are not subjecting young girls to commercial sexual exploitation,' said Ms Pia Bruce, executive director of the committee that had campaigned for Section 376B to be in the Penal Code.
While prostitution is not illegal here, having sex with a prostitute under 18 is a crime under the law, which was introduced in 2008 to prevent the exploitation of underage girls for prostitution.
If found guilty, the 48 men charged so far can be jailed for up to seven years, fined or given both.
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