Man, 22, rapes 2 13-year-old girls, jailed over 9 years, gets 12 strokes of cane: ST

A 22-year-old man has been sentenced to nine years and seven months' jail and 12 strokes of the cane after he pleaded guilty to two charges of statutory rape and one charge for a scam-related offence, The Straits Times reported.

The man, who was 20 at the time of the offences, lied to a 13-year-old girl online that he was 18.

He later had sex with her at a staircase landing.

He met another 13-year-old girl while under investigation for this offence and had sex with her as well.

The man cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the victim's identity.

First victim

According to ST, the man began chatting with the first victim in November 2023 after responding to her Instagram story.

He initially lied that he was 18 years old, only revealing his real age to her later.

In December 2023, he asked the victim to be his girlfriend. She agreed.

On Dec. 4 that year, the two met for the first time at Jurong Point. They continued to chat after and also exchanged nude photographs of themselves, ST wrote.

On Dec. 14, they met for breakfast near Jurong Point.

They later made their way back to the girl's residence, during which they started kissing.

After arriving at the girl's block, the pair went to a staircase landing where they continued to kiss.

The man asked the girl if she wanted to have sex and she agreed, ST reported.

On Dec. 19, the man asked to break up with the girl.

A few days later, he sent threatening messages to her, prompting her to make a police report on Dec. 28 as she was afraid that he would go to her home.

Second victim

According to ST, while under investigation, the man met another 13-year-old in March 2024.

To the second victim, he told her that he was 17.

They started chatting on WhatsApp after exchanging numbers.

On Apr. 23, 2024, the man stayed over at the girl's home.

The girl went to bed, sharing a room with her grandmother.

The man later entered the room and lay down beside the girl.

He then had sex with her, but stopped after a minute as he felt guilty, ST wrote, citing court documents.

On Apr. 25, the girl found out that the man lied about his age and broke up with him.

The second victim's mother made a police report on May 29.

Scam-related offences

The man was also involved in scam-related offences, in which he surrendered his bank details to a person he contacted via Telegram for cash loans, ST reported.

The bank account was later used to funnel scam proceeds, including S$44,000, which the man unsuccessfully attempted to withdraw and hand over to two unidentified runners.

Prosecution sought 16 strokes of cane

According to ST, the prosecution sought nine years and seven months' jail, 16 strokes of the cane, and a S$3,000 fine.

They cited the fact that the man did not use a condom on both occasions he had sex with the minors, which exposed the victims to sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy.