A 27-year-old Singaporean, Wang Dian, has been sentenced to 15 months and two weeks in prison for possessing child p*rnography, following a series of online searches he initiated in 2019.
Wang, who completed his national service in January 2020, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child abuse material, according to ST.
DETAILS OF THE CASE
The court heard that Wang discovered child pornography while using an online content hosting service and subsequently began seeking out similar materials on the internet.
Authorities later found him in possession of 57 video clips showcasing young children, some as young as three to five years old, engaged in sexual activities.
Wang was arrested on September 9, 2020, and the incriminating materials were subsequently confiscated, the report added.
But Court documents did not reveal how his offenses were uncovered.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Selene Yap highlighted in court that some of the videos featured very young children, ranging from three to five years old.
She told that possessing child abuse materials is not a crime without victims, urging the court to impose a sentence of up to 22 months in prison and three strokes of the cane.
She pointed out that the rise in child abuse materials is linked to increased access to technology, stating, “These children not only have to deal with the abuse they have suffered, they must also live with the knowledge that a permanent record of that abuse remains in circulation on the internet for the sexual pleasure of others like the accused”.
“A sufficiently deterrent imprisonment term with the imposition of caning is necessary to send a clear and unequivocal signal of the court’s disapprobation of such perverse habits.”
She urged the court to impose a harsher sentence of up to 22 months in prison and three strokes of the cane, citing the growing prevalence of such material online.
In his defense, Wang’s lawyer, Raphael Louis, contended that his client did not exhibit any paedophilic tendencies and requested a lighter sentence of 7½ months.
According to ST, Louis noted that Wang had been diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder, which he argued contributed to his poor judgment at the time of the offense. He mentioned that Wang had sought professional help but had not seen any improvement in his mental health.
The Lawyer said : “Although he sought professional help and treatment, his mental health did not improve over time”.
“Between September 2020 and February 2024, (his) mental health declined severely as he suffered in agony and uncertainty, not knowing when he might be prosecuted for the present offence.”
The lawyer pointed out that Wang’s actions occurred while he was relatively young, at the age of 22, and described the offense as “lapse of better judgment”.
Under Singaporean law, individuals found guilty of possessing child pornography can face imprisonment for up to five years, as well as fines or caning.
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