A 47-year-old guy who paid S$1,000 to a girl he met on the dating app called “Sugarbook” was sentenced a 12-week jail on Wednesday (Oct 19).
According to CNA, 47-year-old man named Aloi Gregory Marshall entered a guilty plea to one count of procuring a minor’s sexual services. A second charge of possessing obscene films was considered in sentencing.
*Sugarbook is a social networking platform built for the “elite”. It aims to connect “sugar daddies” or “sugar mommies” with “sugar babes” in a relationship where adults get “companionship, mentorship, financial and emotional support”.
WHAT HAPPENED :
Marshall found the profile of the 17-year-old victim who is a a Vietnamese national and they began messaging on the website. Later moved their conversations to Telegram in April 2021.
She said she was turning 18 that December. Marshall asked the victim if she was interested to meet for sex, citing payment of S$1,000 for having sex twice in two hours, according to CNA.
The victim agreed, and a meeting time was set.
The victim went to meet Marshall at Delfi Orchard, where he was staying, on April 24, 2021. They had sex before cuddling and talking for half an hour.
Marshall left S$1,000 as consideration for the victim’s sexual services.
POLICE REPORT
Following this, Marshall contacted the victim once more in late April 2021 and requested a meeting. They were unable to arrange an appropriate date.
In May 2021, he tried to get in touch with her twice more to see if she could meet up or if she was free, but she didn’t respond.
The victim was housed at a home after being referred there by social workers, according to the CNA report.
In response to worries that the victim was engaging in commercial sex, a case worker filed a police report.
“UNDER 18”
The prosecution asked for 12 to 14 weeks’ jail, saying the sentence was already revised downwards from the previous submitted term.
It is now “well within the lowest end” for offenders who had “made some inquiry” as to the victim’s age.
She said Marshall had proceeded even though he had found out that the victim was a minor. He also communicated with the victim thereafter to arrange for another session of commercial sex, said the prosecutor.
Defence lawyer Gino Hardial Singh said his client thought the victim “was of age”.
“Our position is that he did not do the necessary checks and was careless,” he said.
The prosecution stated that they did not agree with the defense’s argument that Marshall misinterpreted the victim’s message when she claimed to be under the age of 18.
Additionally, they challenged the defence’s assertion that Marshall had continued to speak with the victim because he liked her, wanted to see her again, and wanted to get to know her better—and that this was not about commercial sex.
The judge granted Marshall a deferment of sentence to settle his affairs.
The penalty for obtaining for consideration the sexual services of a person under 18 is a jail term of up to seven years, a fine, or both.
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