SINGAPORE: A man who sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl he got to know on Instagram was sentenced to 11 months’ jail on Tuesday (Jan 7).
Julius Lee Wen Bing, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual penetration of a minor. Three similar charges involving the same victim were considered for sentencing.
The court heard that Lee got to know the victim a few weeks before the incident, when he requested to follow her on Instagram and she accepted.
They started exchanging Instagram messages on Jul 21, 2022. Lee initiated a meet-up, to which the victim agreed.
On Jul 22, 2022, Lee picked the victim up behind Khatib MRT station and they went for a drive in Lee’s mother’s car.
During the drive, they talked about intimate matters such as their sexual experiences. When Lee asked the girl for her age, she said she was 15.
Eventually, Lee parked at an open car park around Block 241, Yishun Ring Road. He asked the victim to move to the backseat of the car with him, and sexually assaulted her.
He then drove to another open car park in Yishun, climbed into the backseat, and sexually assaulted the victim again around midnight.
When Lee was kissing and touching the victim afterwards, she backed away as she felt uncomfortable, and he stopped what he was doing.
He later drove to a multi-storey car park near Sun Plaza in Sembawang and parked on the highest floor. He went to the back seat and started touching the victim again.
When the victim said she was uncomfortable, Lee stopped.
She then told Lee that she needed the toilet and left the car. After some time, she asked Lee to meet her at the lower deck of the multi-storey car park.
Lee drove there and allowed her to take her belongings from the car.
The victim told her friends what had happened. She made a police report at about 2.30am on Jul 22, 2022, saying that an unknown man had forced her to perform sexual acts on him.
The prosecution sought 12 to 13 months’ imprisonment for Lee, while the defence asked for 10 months’ jail.
DEFENCE SAYS LEE WAS GRIEVING PET DOG’S DEATH
In mitigation, defence lawyer Mr James Gomez said that Lee lacked “parental connection” during his childhood and was often alone.
He grew up in an environment where he repressed his emotions, and this led to him developing major depressive disorder, said the lawyer. He was also diagnosed with adjustment disorder.
At least one year before the offences, Lee saw a psychiatrist for help coping with stress as he was juggling work and school at the same time.
Mr Gomez said that Lee was also close to his pet dog, which had been with the family for almost a decade.
Two days before the offences, Lee was leaving home for the gym when he noticed that the dog was not in the best of health.
Lee decided he would bring the dog to the vet the next day, but it died before he could do so. This framed his mindset during the offences, the lawyer said.
“He was overwhelmed with grief and consumed with regret that he did not bring his dog to the vet,” said Mr Gomez.
As Lee’s girlfriend was busy with work, he turned to social media to find company as he needed an “outlet” and to be around someone, the lawyer said.
“Unfortunately, it happened to be the victim,” he said, arguing that Lee had only wanted to talk to the girl and that there was no premeditation to the offences.
He said that Lee’s girlfriend and family remained supportive of him, adding that Lee did not try to evade responsibility but cooperated with investigations and that he showed potential for rehabilitation.
Mr Gomez also claimed that Lee “did not buy” that the victim was really 15, because she had spoken candidly of her experiences working in a bar.
But after District Judge Kamala Ponnampalam pointed out that this qualified Lee’s plea of guilt, the lawyer withdrew the statement.
Lee was allowed to start serving his sentence on Feb 11, after requesting a deferment to celebrate Chinese New Year.
He could have been jailed for up to 10 years, fined, or both, for the offence of sexual penetration of a minor.
