SINGAPORE: An ex-researcher at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) who had obscene photos of children was sentenced to six months’ jail on Friday (Feb 28).
Jason Scott Herrin, 50, had 90 photos of children being sexually abused in his phone, which was seized from his residential unit in 2020. Herrin, an American, was a principal research fellow at NTU but has since been fired.
He pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child abuse material, with three other charges – including communicating with another person to offer 12-year-old girls money for sexual services, and having 31 obscene films – taken into consideration for his sentencing.
The court heard that Herrin’s phone was seized due to a police report on an unrelated matter which was not revealed in court.
When his phone was sent for forensic examination, 90 obscene photographs were unearthed. These photos depicted girls in various states of undress.
Herrin had been downloading such material since 2019.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Sheldon Lim noted that while Herrin’s plea of guilt was a mitigating factor, the plea came late and after much delay. Herrin had first been charged in January 2022.
He was set to contest his charges but pleaded guilty on the first day of his trial on Mar 18 last year. The plea was later retracted, leading to the present hearing.
Herrin’s lawyer Sukhmit Singh said in mitigation that his client had downloaded the material for his own consumption, unlike other cases where offenders had distributed or uploaded images.
He added that his client had a “stellar reputation” and had been diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder. The psychiatrist has stated that Herrin’s risk of offending was low, he added. Replying to this, Mr Lim noted that Herrin’s psychiatric report did not state a causal link between his condition and the offences.
Mr Singh said his client has suffered due to protracted investigations.
On why his client had pleaded guilty only on the first day of trial, Mr Singh said the process had taken a while as the prosecution had failed to give the defence access to documents and tapes.
The prosecution and defence also wrangled briefly over Herrin’s bail amount after Herrin applied to defer the start of his jail term for four weeks to settle work and lease matters.
Mr Singh sought to have the bail amount remain the same. The prosecution asked to double the sum from the current S$20,000 to S$40,000, arguing that Herrin would have had ample time to prepare beforehand and that proceedings had already been drawn out.
Pushing for no change to the bail sum, Mr Singh said that his client would likely have to leave Singapore after serving his term and hence needed time to wrap up loose ends. He said it was “not fair” to have the bail sum increased. He took issue with the prosecution’s point on matters being delayed, pointing out that it was the prosecution that had failed to disclose documents.
Principal District Judge Toh Yung Cheong said that it was usual for bail sums to be increased if the accused was a foreigner with fewer ties to Singapore. He added that the four-week deferment the defence sought was “on the lengthier side”.
Parties then settled on having Herrin’s bail increased by S$10,000 with a shorter deferment period. Herrin will surrender on Mar 7.
