Double trouble

SINGAPORE - Allegedly having paid sex with an underage girl is probably the least of this Chinese national's problems.

Lorry driver Sun Xinjian also allegedly killed one pedestrian and injured two others when beating a red light last year.

On Friday, the 36-year-old was among five more men charged with paying a 17-year-old Chinese national for sex.

Sun was also charged with one count each of reckless driving causing death, causing grievous hurt, causing hurt and driving with bald tyres.

He allegedly beat a red light on Nov 6, 2012, around Clementi Loop, hitting three pedestrians who were crossing the road.

SIM-RMIT University graduate Sivaprakash Pathmanathan, 27, was killed on the spot.

His cousin, Ms Cheryl Stephanie Elias Edward, 24, and factory worker Peh Bee Ling, 45, were also injured.

Sun, who worked for a logistics company that delivers supplies to McDonald's, is claiming trial to all the traffic charges.

But he will not contest that he paid the underage streetwalker $60 for sex at Lai Ming Hotel.

Four other Chinese nationals - construction workers Li Weichao, 42, Li Zhiguang, 37, drivers Wu Delong, 35, and Yang Dong, 38 - were also charged on Friday for the same offence.

The acts allegedly took place between May 22 and 27 in hotels around Geylang, where they each paid the girl $60.

Other than Li Zhiguang, four of the men have indicated that they want to plead guilty.

They will return to court next Thursday and Friday, while Sun will have a pre-trial conference in October for his traffic charges.

In court on Friday, the men were expressionless when their charges were read out.

So far, 24 men have been charged with having sex with the girl.

On Wednesday, 14 Singaporeans were charged.

The New Paper has also learnt that six other men, including the girls' alleged pimp, had been charged earlier.

Three of them are also Chinese nationals working as construction workers - Liu Shou Yong, 41, Wang En Yuan, 41, Zhou Mingfeng, 47. The fourth is a Malaysian, Tai Meng Wang, 53.

They were jailed between 11 and 12 weeks in July and August.

The case of the fifth man, Nordin Mohamed Noor, 49, will be mentioned in court on Sept 18.

The alleged pimp, Chinese national Tang Huisheng, 37, is claiming trial.

Visited her twice

Wang, who was sentenced to 12 weeks' jail, visited the girl twice between May 18 and 22.

Court documents show that he saw her along Geylang Lorong 22 and approached her for sex. They agreed on a fee of $60 and went to Lai Ming Hotel nearby.

At the hotel, Wang paid $14 to book the room and bought a condom over the counter. The girl performed oral sex on him before they had sex for about 10 minutes.

She was arrested by officers from the Streetwalker Task Force on June 1, which sparked off the investigation producing the list of men.

It has also emerged that the girl came into Singapore with Tang on May 16 to work as a prostitute because she had financial difficulties.

This is the third high-profile underage vice ring scandal here in two years.

Last year, 51 men were charged with having sex with a 17-year-old Singaporean girl.

In June, another 12 men were charged with paying for sex with another minor, a 16-year-old girl, who is also Singaporean.

Other men charged in underage sex case

- Li Weichao, 42, Construction worker

- Liu Shou Yong, 41, Construction worker

- Wang En Yuan, 41, Construction worker

- Zhou Mingfeng, 47, Construction worker

- Tai Meng Wang, 53, Construction worker

- Nordin Mohamed Noor, 49, Occupation unknown

- Tang Huisheng, 37, Unemployed (alleged pimp)

- Li Zhiguang, 37, Construction worker

- Wu Delong, 35, Driver

- Yang Dong, 38, Driver

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