10 months' jail for having sex with minor

A man who paid for the sexual services of a 14-year-old girl was sentenced to 10 months' jail yesterday for sex with a minor.

Abdul Rahim Abubakar, 30, a boarding officer who faced three charges, had admitted to one charge of getting the girl to perform oral sex on him at a flat in Telok Blangah Crescent some time in February 2012.

Two charges of oral and anal sex were considered during his sentencing.

The court heard that he contacted the girl via SMS after getting her telephone number from a mutual acquaintance.

He offered to pay her $60 for her sexual services and she agreed.

He met her at Telok Blangah Drive and paid the cab fare when she alighted from a taxi, wearing her school uniform.

He took her to his friend's flat at Telok Blangah Crescent where he gave her $40 before the sexual act.

Before she left, he asked her for $20, saying he would give it to her another day. She lodged a police report on March 26 that year, saying she had performed fellatio for some men on four occasions between November 2011 and March 2012.

In mitigation, his lawyer Teo Choo Kee said Rahim had sought sex from someone he thought was a prostitute, albeit a young one.

He said the offence arose from a commercial sex transaction which unfortunately involved an underage girl.

"He is remorseful and regrets receiving oral sex during those few moments of repressed desire," said Mr Teo.

Rahim, who was allowed to defer serving his sentence until Aug 25, could have been jailed for up to 10 years and/or fined for sexual penetration of a person below age 16.

elena@sph.com.sg

This article was published on Aug 8 in The Straits Times.

Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.