After being introduced to each other while they were volunteering at their former primary school, a 13-year-old girl and a 22-year-old man exchanged numbers and began chatting on the phone.

He eventually brought her to his residential hall room at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) where they watched the erotic romantic drama "Fifty Shades of Grey" and engaged in sexual activities.

The man later turned up as a relief teacher for the girl's secondary two class before his offences came to light.

According to Today, on February 11, 2020, the man — who is now 25 — was sentenced to two years' jail after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual penetration of a minor; eight other similar charges taken into consideration for sentencing.

Both the identities of the man and the girl are gagged by a court order meant to protect the girl's identity.

Introduced by a mutual friend

Court documents seen by Mothership report show that the girl and the offender had become acquainted in early April 2017.

They were both helping out their former primary school's band when they were introduced to each other by a mutual friend. Later that day, they exchanged phone numbers.

Sometime later that month, the offender contacted the girl through Instagram, before calling her around 12am.

They talked for about four hours and the conversation eventually drifted onto the topic of sex, where the offender shared with the girl his previous sexual experiences.

At the end of their conversation, the man asked the girl if she wanted to meet up.

Sending nudes

According to court documents, the girl agreed to meet with him on April 25. She had thought that the older man was interested in her and that they might get into a relationship.

In their chats leading up to April 25, the offender asked the girl to send him a nude photo, telling her that he had exchanged such photos with other girls in the past.

He then sent her a photograph of his genitals and asked her to reciprocate in kind, which she did.

Court documents show that he was aware that the girl was 13-years-old at the time as they had told each other their birthdates.

Coaxing her into sex acts

Then on the afternoon of April 25, the man brought the girl to his house where they chatted in his bedroom before they started kissing and undressing.

The man then started touching the girl's genitals before he persuaded her to perform sexual acts on him.

Four days later, the man invited the girl to spend time with him at his residential hall room at NTU.

When the girl arrived, they started watching a movie — "Fifty Shades of Grey".

During the course of the movie, the man and the girl started kissing and undressing before engaging in sexual acts.

They next met again on the afternoon of May 5, when the offender brought the girl to his house again.

Once again, they started to engage in sex acts, except this time, the man asked if he could also have intercourse with the girl.

While she was initially hesitant and voiced her discomfort, the girl eventually relented to the man's overtures.

Starting work as her teacher

This would be the last time that the man and the girl would meet in such a setting, with the offender informing the girl that he was set to work at her school as a relief teacher.

After his work started at the school — with the offender also teaching the girl's class — the girl confided in her friends that she had sex with the offender and that she regretted it.

Later in July 2017, the girl's form teacher approached the girl to ask her about the nature of her relationship with the man.

She then confided in her teacher, and her parents were informed.

On July 7, the girl lodged a police report and thereafter the man was confronted by his head of department and the school principal.

While he initially denied the allegations, he was suspended from his job and did not return to the school.

He subsequently deactivated his Instagram account and deleted all of the chats and photographs with the girl.

During the course of the investigations, the man eventually admitted to the offences.

No positive consent

In her sentencing submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sruthi Boppana asked for a prison sentence of at least two years and nine months.

She pointed to the fact that any consent given by the girl could not be deemed as positive consent as she was just 13 years of age at the time.

This was underscored by the girl's subsequent difficulties sleeping and regret over having intercourse with the man.

Today reported the man's lawyer S Radakrishnan as saying that the girl had disclosed to the man her previous history of having boyfriends and "friends with benefits".

He also referenced the girl's interest in the man and her desire to be his girlfriend.

For sexual penetration of a minor under 14, the man could have been jailed up to 20 years, and fined or caned.

He was set to graduate from his course at NTU later this year.

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