A former Principal Research Fellow at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has pleaded guilty on Monday (Mar 18) to disturbing charges of possessing child abuse material and communicating with another person to obtain sexual services from minors.
Jason Scott Herrin, a 49-year-old American researcher, had his phone seized by authorities on Aug 17, 2020 for an unrelated matter, only to discover 90 photos of children being sexually abused and 31 obscene films on the device. It was also revealed that Herrin had been downloading such material since 2019, as per the report.
He admitted to possessing child abuse material and attempting to solicit sexual services from a person under 18. Two additional charges of a similar nature will be taken into account during his sentencing, which has been postponed.
Furthermore, investigators uncovered WhatsApp messages between Herrin and an unidentified individual from Nov 14, 2019, in which Herrin offered money in exchange for sex with 12-year-old girls. The report said that he offered four million rupiah (S$340) for sex with 12-year-old girls.
The disturbing nature of these messages led NTU to terminate Herrin’s employment on Apr 7, 2022, the report added.
Herrin, who initially intended to contest the charges, decided to plead guilty on the first day of his trial on Monday.
He faces up to two years in jail, fines, or both for communicating with another person to solicit sexual services from minors. Additionally, he could be sentenced to up to five years in jail, fines, or caning for possessing child abuse material.
Herrin is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on May 17. The university has sacked him following the shocking revelations brought to light during the investigation.
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