A 27-year-old man was sentenced to 11 months in jail on Tuesday (Jan 7) for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl he befriended on Instagram.
Julius Lee Wen Bing pleaded guilty to one count of sexual penetration of a minor, with three similar charges taken into account during sentencing.
According to Channel News Asia, the court heard that Lee and the victim began exchanging messages on Instagram shortly after he requested to follow her, which she accepted. Their interactions commenced on July 21, 2022, culminating in a meet-up the following day.
On July 22, Lee picked the victim up behind Khatib MRT station, where they drove around in his mother’s car. During the drive, they discussed intimate topics, including their sexual experiences. When Lee inquired about her age, the victim disclosed that she was 15.
Lee parked at an open car park near Block 241 on Yishun Ring Road, where he then sexually assaulted the victim. This attack was followed by another incident in a different car park in Yishun around midnight.
After driving to an open car park in Yishun, Lee climbed into the backseat and sexually assaulted the victim again around midnight. Following the assault, while he was kissing and touching her, she expressed her discomfort by backing away, prompting Lee to cease his actions.
Subsequently, Lee drove to a multi-storey car park near Sun Plaza in Sembawang, where he parked on the top level. He again moved to the back seat to initiate further unwanted touching.
When the victim voiced her discomfort, he complied and stopped. She then stated that she needed to use the restroom and exited the vehicle. After a brief period, she asked Lee to meet her on the lower deck of the car park, where he drove to meet her and allowed her to retrieve her belongings from the car.
After confiding in her friends about the assaults, the victim made a police report around 2:30 a.m. on July 22, indicating that an unknown man had forced her to engage in sexual acts.
The prosecution sought a sentence of 12 to 13 months, while the defense requested a lighter sentence of 10 months.
In mitigation, defense lawyer James Gomez argued that Lee had a troubled upbringing, lacking parental connection and often feeling isolated. He cited Lee’s struggles with major depressive disorder and noted that he was under stress from balancing work and school responsibilities.
Gomez claimed that the recent death of Lee’s pet dog, which had been a significant part of his life for nearly a decade, had deeply affected him. He suggested that Lee’s grief contributed to his decision to seek companionship on social media, which led to the unfortunate meeting with the victim.
“He was overwhelmed with grief and consumed with regret that he did not bring his dog to the vet,” said Mr Gomez according to the report.
Mr. Gomez told the court that Lee “did not believe” the victim was actually 15, as she had openly discussed her experiences working in a bar.
However, District Judge Kamala Ponnampalam highlighted that Lee’s claim of doubting the victim’s age undermined his plea of guilt. Following this observation, Gomez withdrew the statement.
Lee, who could have faced up to 10 years in prison for his actions, was allowed to defer the start of his sentence until February 11 to celebrate Chinese New Year.
Image via google for illustration
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