Jailed for going AWOL, sex with underage girl
NSF, 22, jailed for having sex with underage student and going AWOL
Grow up.
That is what a district judge told a 22-year-old man yesterday after sentencing him to 12 months and two weeks' jail for having sex with an underage girl and other offences.
Known only as Muhammad, he was found guilty of one count of sexually penetrating a 14-year-old girl and five counts of being absent without official leave (AWOL) from his national service duties with the Singapore Civil Defence Force.
Said District Judge John Ng: "I want to tell you, you have to grow up. I have read your psychiatric report... But I don't think those things have real causal connection to your offences."
The judge said Muhammad was mature enough when he had committed the offences, despite being said to suffer from mild intellectual disability and pervasive depressive disorder.
Muhammad had gone AWOL for 227 days between March 14 and Dec 30 last year.
The court heard that he had met the girl in October 2014 through a mutual friend.
The girl, who cannot be named to protect her identity, told Muhammad she was a Secondary 2 student.
The pair started a relationship on Nov 25 that year.
Between January and February last year, she went to Muhammad's flat, where they kissed and hugged in his bedroom before having sex.
Muhammad's offence was discovered on Dec 7 last year when the girl was found to be 36 weeks pregnant.
She had gone with her aunt to a polyclinic where she was examined.
POLICE REPORT
On the same day, a police report was lodged.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Chee Ee Ling said Muhammad was well aware that the victim was under 16, adding that consent was immaterial on the victim's part.
Defence lawyer Gino Hardial Singh told the court that Muhammad, who does not have a criminal record, was not the father of the child.
The prosecution confirmed this.
Mr Singh had suggested a total sentence of not more than 11 months' jail for his client.
Said Mr Singh: "He (Muhammad) is not a sexual predator. His encounter with the victim occurred in the heat of passion and did not involve premeditation, injury, violence, threat, coercion and deception."
Muhammad's sentence was backdated to Jan 4 this year.
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