A 20-year-old man used social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to befriend minor girls. Goh Kar Aip was found guilty on Monday for assaulting two minor girls whom he met on social media and introduced himself as "Kai".
The 20-year-old accused Goh pleaded guilty during the sentencing to four charges, which include three of sexual penetration of a minor and one of sexual assault by penetration. However, other 38 charges involving 10 victims, will be considered during the next hearing.
The High Court of Singapore heard that once the man became the friend of those minors via private message, he started talking to them on sex-related topics.
Singapore police arrested Goh, when they found that in December 2014, the accused threatened a 12-year-old girl and said that he will find her and tie her up if she won't send him her nude photo.
After that incident, even though Goh received a 12-month conditional stern warning, he continued his process of searching for more victims.
Later in December 2015, again Goh, a Singaporean resident met another 12-year-old girl on Instagram, who just finished her PSLE, and asked to be his girlfriend.
In court, Deputy Public Prosecutor Chee Ee Ling said that when Goh proposed that girl, he knew her age as well as her educational qualification. That time he was waiting for his selection in National Service.
According to reports, the victim and Goh met for the first time on December 19. The accused took that girl to his apartment, which is located at Hougang Street 51 and sexually assaulted her in his bedroom.
After the assault, the girl tried to move on from the relationship but Goh tricked her by saying that he will reveal all the sex chat what they had through WhatsApp. As the minor was pressurised mentally to be with the accused, on December 29 she again met with her assaulter.
According to DPP Chee, the girl asked Goh to stop what he was doing but after the threat, she thought that it will be better if she allows him to keep touching her.
The accused took obscene photos of the girl at the staircase landing of Block 562 Hougang Street 51.
Meanwhile, he met another 12-year-old girl on Instagram and also pressurised her to send nude pictures. She too agreed to exchange photos and on January 11, 2016, she met with Goh in person.
Goh repeated the same crime with the second girl and sexually assaulted her at Block 856D Tampines Street 82, took her nude pictures and made her perform a sexual act on him.
According to reports, the girl met him thrice in the same year, January, February and March.
Singapore police alerted to this crime when a teacher lodged a complaint against Goh in March 2016 after realising that several students from her school were being harassed by the accused.
The law for rape in Singapore, which falls under Section 375 of the Penal Code stated that "any man who penetrates the vagina or a woman with his penis (a) without her consent; or (b) with or without her consent, when she is under 14 years of age, shall be guilty of an offence."
In addition, the Penal Code also stated that if the man rapes or tries to rape the woman by "(i) voluntarily caus[ing] hurt to [her]; or (ii) puts her in fear of death or hurt to herself," he will face up to 20 years in prison and 12 strokes at the very least.
