SINGAPORE: A man who bullied a 16-year-old girl into performing sexual acts and giving him money by falsely claiming he was taking legal action against her was sentenced to jail and caning on Monday (Jun 6).
Marc Justine Landrio Chandramohan, 27, had pressured the girl after she backed out of a “sugar daddy” arrangement with him.
Chandramohan will serve two years, 11 months and 10 weeks in jail from Friday after he was given a few days to settle his debts. He was also ordered to be given three strokes of the cane.
The Singaporean earlier pleaded guilty to seven charges. These consist of communicating with another person for the purpose of obtaining commercial sex, abetting by distributing obscene images and videos, extortion, cheating, making obscene films, and abetting another person to perform a computer function without authority.
Another nine charges, mostly related to making obscene films, were taken into consideration by Principal District Judge Victor Yeo Khee Eng for sentencing.
Apart from the victim of the extortion, two other victims were filmed by Chandramohan during sex acts. All three victims cannot be named to protect their identities.
Echoing what the prosecution had said in Chandramohan’s earlier hearing where he pleaded guilty, Judge Yeo said in his sentencing remarks that the accused had preyed on a young and naive victim.
He noted how Chandramohan had persisted with his “premeditated and predatory behaviour” to message and pressure the victim for sexual favours and money even though she owed him “absolutely nothing”.
Judge Yeo said the court could not ignore the adverse impact Chandramohan’s acts had on the victim, who said her relationship with her family was affected by the incident.
She said she felt her body was “dirty” and became sensitive to physical touch. The victim also worried about bumping into Chandramohan outside and would panic when she sees someone who resembles him.
The District Judge said that the predominant sentencing consideration in this case was deterrence, both for Chandramohan and other like-minded potential offenders.
Touching on Chandramohan’s mitigation, Judge Yeo said he accepted that the accused regretted his offences and is prepared to accept responsibility and face punishment.
THE OFFENCES
The court previously heard that Chandramohan began chatting with the victim via the Instagram app in July 2021.
He suggested paying her S$900 (US$700) in exchange for sexual favours in a “sugar daddy” arrangement. The victim initially agreed and sent Chandramohan four photos of herself in varying states of undress, with her face captured.
She also sent a video of herself removing her school uniform, at Chandramohan’s instruction.
Chandramohan sent the victim S$100 on Jul 24, 2021. However, in the early hours of the next morning, the victim regretted the agreement. She told Chandramohan via text that she did not want to continue with it, deleted her chat with him and blocked him.
But he began badgering her about the S$100 he gave her, creating new Instagram accounts to speak to her repeatedly, then threatened legal action against her.
He insisted on sexual favours and said he would not stop pursuing legal action against her, even after the victim managed to ask a friend to transfer Chandramohan the S$100.
Believing this to be true, the victim gave in and performed a sexual act in early 2022. Chandramohan agreed to withdraw his purported lawsuit against her. But he later pretended that legal proceedings were still ongoing and asked her for S$1,350 – allegedly half the sum of the legal fee – to pay his lawyer.
He suggested again that the two return to their initial sexual arrangement.
Eventually, the victim consulted her friends, who told her that Chandramohan was likely lying. She then lodged a police report.
Separately, in 2023, Chandramohan applied for a Standard Chartered bank account at the behest of a friend, who asked him if he wanted to make fast cash by relinquishing control of his account.
He provided his friend details relating to that bank account and received S$330 in exchange. A total of S$304,817.76 flowed through this bank account.
Chandramohan was also sentenced over these offences and will have to pay a fine of S$330 in addition to his jail term.
Extortion carries a jail term of between two and seven years with caning.
For communicating with another person for the purpose of obtaining the sexual services of a person under 18, an offender can be jailed up to two years, fined, or both.
