Jogger had sex with underage girl in woods

After exchanging friendly greetings with a girl he met while jogging in a former cemetery, Hem Raj Thapa asked her to go with him into the woods.

She agreed and they walked into a secluded area, later parting ways following a quick tryst.

The problem, however, was that the girl was only 15.

Yesterday, the Nepalese man, 32, was sentenced to one year's jail after pleading guilty to underage sex with the girl last December. One similar charge was taken into consideration.

A district court heard that the pair had greeted each other after meeting on a footpath in the old Bidadari cemetery near Woodleigh MRT station, between 6.30pm and 7.30pm on Dec 29 last year.

Hem Raj Thapa felt that the girl, who was taking a stroll, was being friendly towards him. He made his request with a gesture, after fantasising about having sex with her.

As they walked into the woods, he asked her for her age and she replied that she was 15.

After 10 to 15 minutes of walking, Hem Raj Thapa kissed and touched the girl, and removed her clothes. She did not resist as he then committed the offence.

However, he was caught after the minor visited a clinic to get contraceptive pills the next day and the doctor reported the matter to the police.

The man, whose occupation was not stated in court papers, said through an interpreter that he was remorseful and had young children.

The maximum penalty for sex with a person under the age of 16 is a jail term of 10 years and a fine.

This article was first published on July 18, 2014.
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