Ex-MOE scholar jailed for sexual offences with minor

SINGAPORE: Former Ministry of Education scholar Jonathan Wong Wai Kheong was sentenced to five years' jail on Monday. Twenty-five-year-old Wong was previously charged in Singapore with 10 counts of sexual offences with an underage girl. He was found guilty on five counts, including two counts of committing indecent acts and three counts of having sex with a minor. Wong, who was caught for possessing child pornography in Britain, was expelled by the University of York and had his scholarship revoked in 2010. He is now an editorial assistant with a publishing company here. Wong and the girl, who was then 15 years old, became close after chatting online over Facebook and Skype. Wong addressed the girl as "daughter" and the girl in turn called him "daddy". They later met up and had sex on several occasions between February and June last year. These included oral sex at a toilet at Esplanade Drive. They also had sex at staircase landings of blocks in Bukit Batok Central and Woodlands Drive. Wong also lured the girl into sex under the pretence of sexual education. On one occasion, he told the girl to strip and masturbate in an online video chat. He then took nude pictures of her, unknown to her. The court heard that Wong, who has been diagnosed a paedophile, had a 22-year-old girlfriend at the time of the offences. Deputy Public Prosecutor Kavita Uthrapathy described Wong as a "smooth-operator" who "sexually-groomed" the girl. She also brought up Wong's past offences, which included molesting a schoolgirl and peeping into a female toilet, when he was in secondary school. Wong, who appeared in court in shackles, told the court that he was "deeply remorseful." In a six-page handwritten mitigation plea, Wong admitted that his condition would trigger when faced with pornography or when he came into close "emotional and physical contact with an underage girl". In his statement, Wong added that he had taken precautionary steps, including seeking psychological treatment and a self-imposed curfew. He also said that he had deleted every contact he had of any girl below 18 years of age, from his phone and Facebook. District Judge Jasbendar Kaur, in her sentencing, condemned Wong for "taking advantage of a vulnerable girl" in order "to satisfy his own base sexual needs." She said Wong's offences were serious and highlighted the multiple sexual occasions. However, she noted that it was "heartening" that Wong was "quite clear and determined in seeking necessary professional help". Under the Children and Young Persons Act, anyone convicted of sexual exploitation can be jailed up to two years and fined S$5,000. In the case of a second conviction, the maximum sentence is four years' jail and S$10,000 fine. For having sex with an underage girl, Wong could also be jailed up to 10 years and fined. SourceL CNA