Teen on probation for intimate with girl, 11

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• Singapore teen on probation for sex with girl, 11

SINGAPORE, Dec 12 — An 11-year-old Singaporean girl went on the Internet, befriended a teenage boy and, soon afterwards, invited him home to have sex. Now 13, she is believed to be one of the youngest girls involved in a case of “underaged carnal connection”, or having sex with a child.

Nicholas Lim Jian Yong was 16 when, some time before April 10 last year, the girl started talking to him over the social networking website Friendster, a district court was told.

They started seeing each other, and she told him she was 12 years old and a Primary 6 pupil.

Then, some time between April 10 and June 30, she asked him to her home in Bukit Batok, and they had sex. It was consensual sex, the court was told.

About two weeks later, the girl broke up with Lim as she felt that they had begun to drift apart.

The Straits Times learnt that she went on to have another boyfriend, a 16-year-old Institute of Technical Education student.

Lim was arrested after the girl told the police that she had had sex with him before having sex with her new boyfriend.

The second boy is also being investigated for having sex with her. The Straits Times understands that the girl went missing this year. It is not known where she is now.

Last month, Lim pleaded guilty to having sex with a girl under 16. A second similar charge, of having sex at a staircase landing in a block of flats, was considered during his sentencing.

Lim, who is doing a hairdressing course, apologised for what he did and asked for a second chance. Community Court judge Roy Neighbour called for a pre-sentence report to find if Lim was eligible for probation.

The younger of two sons from a family who live in a three-room Housing Board flat, Lim said he wanted to be a hairstylist to help his parents.

Yesterday, the judge placed him on 12 months' probation. He will have to observe a curfew and also do 40 hours of community service.

Lim's parents, who were in court, signed a S$5,000 (RM12,000) bond to ensure his good behaviour.

Judge Neighbour warned the youth that he would be brought back to court to be dealt with for the offence should he breach any term or condition of the probation.

The penalty for having sex with a girl under 16 is up to five years' jail and a fine of up to S$10,000. Young, first-time offenders like Lim are usually given a second chance or fined.

Lawyer Vinit Chhabra said that in a situation where the youngsters are seeing each other as boyfriend and girlfriend, or where the age difference is not large, probation or a fine could be considered.

“If it is a big age difference and you know there is a predator taking advantage of a girl under 16, then it's a jail sentence,” he said.

While it would not be fair to jail the boy in this case as the girl apparently initiated the act, Chhabra wondered if an 11-year-old girl was even capable of fully grasping the far-reaching consequences of what she was doing.

Clinical psychologist Carol Balhetchet said she had come across girls as young as 10 experimenting with sex. She had seen one or two cases in each of the last two years. The director for youth services of the Singapore Children's Society, she felt that for children that young, sex cannot be consensual.

“I think there are a lot of mixed feelings about the situation and confusion and when they are like that, they want so much to please the other person, especially if the other person is someone older,” she said.

She said it was sad that by the time parents or other adults discover what is going on, the sex has already happened.

Referring to the case of Lim and the girl, she said: “When you take an adult view of the situation, both the perpetrator — who is quite young — and the victim are both victims.” — The Straits Times

PARENT GUIDE TO ONLINE SAFETY

We all know that the Internet can be a fun place and a useful resource for teens. But it is also full of risks and dangers. No one person can ensure teen online safety. However, parents play the biggest role in keeping teens safe online. Parents must be willing to elicit the support and advice of other parents, educators, online safety specialists, and teens themselves to be successful. It takes a village to raise a child. It takes the concerted efforts of all of us, working together, to make sure teens are safe online.Click the link below for details:

http://xr.com/sud

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