SINGAPORE, April 1 — The first man here to be convicted of organising a commercial sex tour overseas and distributing information to promote paid sex with a minors outside Singapore, was yesterday (March 31) sentenced to 56 months’ jail.

Chan Chun Hong, 31, was also fined S$8,000 (RM21,552) for possessing obscene films.

The former financial consultant, who is diagnosed with paedophilia, had faced 145 charges, but the prosecution proceeded with 12.

Chan pleaded guilty on February 6 to one count of making travel plans for a Singaporean with the intention of facilitating commercial sex with minors under 18 years old.

He also pleaded guilty to three counts of distributing information to promote commercial sex, seven counts of transmitting obscene materials via electronic means, and one of having obscene films.

In meting out the sentence, District Judge Siva Shanmugam noted that the laws are aimed at discouraging child sex tourism and preventing the sexual exploitation of young children.  The ages of Chan’s potential victims were “of grave concern”, he added.

Evidence tendered to the court showed that Chan had actively traded photographs and videos of naked young girls ― some as young as two ― in various sexual poses and acts via email between December 2 2011 and September 6 2012.

Chan had also expressed his preference for girls between 8 and 12, and suggested visits to regional countries, such as Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines, to have sex with them.

Judge Shanmugam noted that while human trafficking and sex tourism involving minors are acknowledged in Parliament as serious crimes, they remain prevalent in South-east Asia.

“There is certainly an element of exploitation as the potential victims here clearly belong to a vulnerable class namely the young and poverty stricken.”

Since Chan’s actions were facilitating the statutory rape of minors below 14, his offences warranted a deterrent, custodial sentence of significant length, the Judge added.

However, Judge Shanmugam said the facts of Chan’s case did not disclose that he was running a syndicated operation, and this appeared to be the only occasion he had planned a sex tour with a minor.

He also noted that Chan had taken steps to prevent a relapse of his paedophilic tendencies.

“I view his plea of guilt as an indication of his remorse over this matter,” Judge Shanmugam said.

Following a tip-off from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation in January 2013, the police had initiated investigations against Chan under a decoy moniker “Teo Dennis” in November that year.

Upon receiving S$1,000 from Teo in February last year, Chan booked air tickets for Teo and himself to the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh to have sex with young girls.

Chan was nabbed in Changi Airport on March 1 last year.

The prosecution had sought a jail sentence of at least six years. Chan could have been jailed up to 10 years and fined for organising a tour outside Singapore for commercial sex. ― Today