Man jailed 28 months for having sex with minor he met at a Harajuku-inspired group event

A man met a Secondary 3 girl half his age at a Japanese-inspired Harajuku group event, where they developed feelings for each other.

He then taught her how to perform sexual acts and they met multiple times at his home to have sex.

Their relationship came to light when an anonymous person informed the girl's family who, in turn, confronted the victim before they contacted the police.

On Friday (May 27), the man, who cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the victim's identity, was jailed for 28 months after earlier pleading guilty to three charges of having sex with a minor.

Another four charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

The court heard that the man, now 34, has a mild intellectual disability but that had no effect on his offences as he was able to tell right and wrong at the time.

He was unemployed and had a girlfriend at the time of the offence.

The pair were part of a society for Harajuku enthusiasts of the fashion and culture made famous by the trendy Japanese district.

The group met regularly and would dress up in Harajuku-inspired clothes.

The man would attend lunches organised by the group, where he got to know the girl, then 14.

In May 2018, he suggested that they meet up at Causeway Point after she texted him that she was insecure about her new haircut.

He said he needed to straighten her hair before helping her cut it and invited her to his home.

He helped her cut her hair in his living room, before heading into the man's room when his father came home.

She started to study on the floor while the man rested on his bed, playing with his phone.

She then lay next to him on the bed and poked him for fun as she could not sleep.

He returned the favour and accidentally touched her private parts and got aroused.

The prosecution said the victim accidentally brushed the man's private parts and apologised, but the man said she had aroused him.

He then guided her to perform a sexual act, before having sex with her.

They did so on several occasions over the next few months.

Eventually, the girl's step-sister received an anonymous message on Instagram telling her to "handle" the victim and accused her of sleeping with others.

The step-sister informed her girl's mother, 46, who confronted the victim and learned that she had sex with the accused.

The prosecution said: "(The mother) and the victim's step-sister then confronted the accused. The accused then retorted that it was the victim who asked him for sex."

Enraged, the mother reported the matter to the police.

Seeking at least 30 months' jail for the man, DPP Colin Ng said that the girl was sexually exploited and taught by the man how to perform sexual acts.

Any consent given by the victim is not a valid mitigating factor, he said.

Consequently, the girl developed trust issues and panic attacks following the sexual encounter, said the DPP, adding that the man showed no remorse as he blamed the victim when the family confronted him.

Those guilty of having sex with a minor can be jailed up to 10 years and fined.