Member of Catholic order in Singapore jailed 5 years for sex acts on teenage boys

SINGAPORE - A man who was part of a religious order of the Catholic faith when he committed unlawful sexual acts with two teenage boys here was sentenced to five years' jail on Thursday (May 5).

He was the godfather of one of the victims.

The Singaporean, who The Straits Times understands is not a priest, pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily having carnal intercourse against the order of nature and one charge under the Children and Young Persons Act.

Two other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Details about the man and his victims cannot be disclosed due to a gag order.

The gag order also covers the man's designation and appointment and the address of the incident location.

In court on Thursday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sarah Siaw asked for four to six years' jail for the man.

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She said it was clear the victims had trusted him and he had abused his position of trust as an educator and as the godfather of one of the boys.

For voluntarily having carnal intercourse against the order of nature, the man could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

For committing an offence under the Children and Young Persons Act, the man could have been jailed for up to two years and fined up to $5,000, if it had been his first offence.

If he is a repeat offender, he can be jailed for up to four years and fined up to $10,000 for each charge.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.