Man gets probation for underage sex

SINGAPORE - The very day he befriended on Facebook a young girl who had run away from home, Muhammad Rohaizad Muhammad Razali asked the 13-year-old to be his girlfriend. She agreed and they had sex six times over the next month at an HDB block's staircase landing.

Yesterday, Muhammad Rohaizad, 20, was placed on 15 months' probation for sex with the minor, who is now 14.

He pleaded guilty to two of six offences committed between Feb 8 and March 8. Muhammad Rohaizad, a part-time security guard at the time, was also ordered to perform 120 hours of community service and remain indoors between 10pm and 6am. His parents had to sign a $5,000 bond to ensure his good behaviour.

The court heard that the girl told Muhammad Rohaizad her age after he added her on Facebook. By the end of their relationship, she had kept away from home for some 40 days. They would meet almost daily near his Yishun home. All their sexual encounters took place at the staircase landing of an HDB block nearby.

Muhammad Rohaizad is the third man to be dealt with for underage sex with the same girl, who ended up pregnant and had to have an abortion. A fourth man is still awaiting sentencing. The maximum penalty for having sex with someone under 16 is 10 years in jail and a fine.

This article was first published on November 21, 2014.
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