Man jailed for sex with 12-year-old girl

A construction worker had unprotected sex with a 12-year-old primary school girl he met online, even doing the deed on her parents' bed.

Dong Yongwei, 24, was first invited home by the girl just three months after befriending her on the mobile messaging app WeChat.

Yesterday, Dong, a Chinese national, was sentenced to a year in prison after admitting to two charges of sex with the minor, committed on Sept 20 and Oct 4.

The court heard that the pair had exchanged mobile numbers and communicated through messages and calls in Mandarin, after meeting in June on WeChat. They first met in person later that month.

On Oct 4, Dong visited the girl at her Housing Board flat in the north when her mother was not at home.

After some hugging and kissing, Dong suggested that they have sex, but she was reluctant as she was fearful of becoming pregnant. She later agreed, and they had sex on the bed in the master bedroom.

They later showered together and he accompanied her to do some grocery shopping.

They returned to the flat with groceries and she began cooking for her mother.

The police were called after the girl's mother returned and discovered what had happened.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Carene Poh pointed out the big age gap between Dong and his victim, adding that she was barely pubescent at that time. There had also been a risk of an unwanted pregnancy as they had unprotected sex.

Dong came to work in Singapore last December.

He pleaded guilty to one of the two offences, with the other being taken into consideration. He could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

pohian@sph.com.sg

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