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SINGAPORE: A man who had sexually abused six boys when he was a youth voluntarily confessed his crimes to the police when he was an adult, asking for the maximum number of strokes of the cane.<\/p>\n
He also voluntarily agreed to receive injections that amounted to chemical castration.<\/p>\n
Chen Caijin, a 34-year-old Singaporean, was sentenced on Wednesday (Oct 28) to jail for 19 years, one month, two weeks and 14 days, with the maximum 24 strokes of the cane.<\/p>\n
He pleaded guilty to six charges including sexual penetration of a minor, molestation, taking nude photos of a child, voluntarily causing hurt and relinquishing a bank account.<\/p>\n
Another 16 charges were considered in sentencing.<\/p>\n
Chen committed the sexual offences for a few years after 2010, when he was aged between 17 and 20 and the victims were aged between nine and 16 years.<\/p>\n
He got to know the victims through playing arcade or online games or through mutual friends.<\/p>\n
He paid for some of the victims’ games, with at least one victim allowing the sexual offences to continue as he was worried Chen would stop paying for his games and meals if he didn’t.<\/p>\n
The first victim was a school drop-out who would sniff glue with his friends and game at a 24-hour Local Area Network (LAN) shop in Geylang.<\/p>\n
Chen paid for the gaming by the victim and the victim’s friends. He also tried kissing the boy, who was 14 to 15 at the time, but was pushed away.<\/p>\n
Chen molested the victim multiple times, causing him to feel uncomfortable. The victim kept quiet as he thought Chen was “just playing”, the court heard.<\/p>\n
One night in 2010, while Chen was with the victim and the victim’s friends at a void deck, he performed a sex act on the boy.<\/p>\n
When the boy woke up, his friends were laughing at him, which confused the victim.<\/p>\n
Chen also sexually assaulted the boy when he slept over at Chen’s house.<\/p>\n
Chen also performed sex acts on another victim and took nude photos of him, which he shared with three mutual friends without consent.<\/p>\n
The offences went undetected until Nov 1, 2019, when Chen sent an email to the police.<\/p>\n
He said he had committed serious crimes in the past but had not been caught. He said he wanted to ask some questions before deciding whether to admit to the crimes.<\/p>\n
He also said he wanted to “negotiate a certain type of punishment”.<\/p>\n
He sent another email to the police a few days later, saying he deserved to be punished and asked how he could be sentenced to the maximum number of strokes of the cane.<\/p>\n
The police invited Chen to provide a statement in person, and Chen did so on Nov 8, 2019.<\/p>\n
He admitted to molesting several individuals and having sex with underage victims. However, he refused to reveal their identities or details as he did not want to be arrested or detained.<\/p>\n
The police seized his phone and began identifying suspected victims.<\/p>\n
They discovered that he had engaged in at least 22 sexual offences between 2010 and 2014.<\/p>\n
Chen was largely cooperative throughout investigations and willingly disclosed information on his sexual crimes.<\/p>\n
He was arrested in April 2024 and has been remanded since then.<\/p>\n
A psychiatrist at the Institute of Mental Health examined Chen and said he had personality disorder with prominent masochistic and antisocial traits.<\/p>\n
He also had paraphilic disorder, with an extensive history of childhood sexual trauma.<\/p>\n
Dr Cheow Enquan said Chen’s main sexual interest was in teenage boys, but he also had strong paedophilic tendencies as he displayed sexual interest in males under the age of 13.<\/p>\n
There was no direct contributory link between any of his conditions to the offences, Dr Cheow found.<\/p>\n
Deputy Public Prosecutors Ho May Kim and Sarah Siaw sought at least 18 years’ jail to 20 years and four months’ jail, along with an additional 14 days’ jail for breaching his remission order.<\/p>\n
They also asked for the maximum 24 strokes of the cane.<\/p>\n
Chen has past convictions for offences including theft.<\/p>\n
Ms Ho highlighted Chen’s persistent and predatory conduct, as well as the number of victims.<\/p>\n
She accepted that Chen had voluntarily come forward but said he withheld crucial details and did not want to be arrested in 2019.<\/p>\n
Chen was defended by Mr Pramnath Vijayakumar and Ms Alysha Saraswathy Ratnam from Pro Bono SG.<\/p>\n
Ms Ratnam said her client did not present as a “typical sexual offender”.<\/p>\n
While he was now 34, the sexual offences were committed when he was 17 to 20 years old, she said.<\/p>\n
She said Chen was sincerely remorseful, which he had demonstrated in several ways including his voluntary confession.<\/p>\n
Ms Ratnam said Chen wished to negotiate a sentence purely because he felt he deserved a harsher one.<\/p>\n
He was wracked by guilt and determined not to commit such offences again, so he proactively sought medical treatment at IMH, said the lawyer.<\/p>\n
She said Chen was prescribed injections that lowered testosterone levels to manage his sexual urges.<\/p>\n
Doctors said this was a form of chemical castration, she added.<\/p>\n
Chen even proactively requested an increase of the dosage to assist him in managing his urges, said Ms Ratnam.<\/p>\n
She added that Chen himself is a victim of childhood sexual abuse, but did not elaborate.<\/p>\n
“The defence is not submitting that this should excuse his offending,” said Ms Ratnam.<\/p>\n
“We merely wish to raise this factor to give this court a holistic picture of Mr Chen and the internal struggles he wrestled with,” she said.<\/p>\n
She said that as Chen grew older, he realised the gravity of his offences and tried to right the wrongs he had caused.<\/p>\n
His mother, who is 71 years old this year, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in April and Chen wishes to see her again before she dies, said Ms Ratnam.<\/p>\n
In sentencing, Justice Mavis Chionh said there was a “disturbing” pattern of conduct where Chen would strike up a friendship with a victim before initiating physical contact that escalated into sexual acts.<\/p>\n
It would not be accurate to attribute his offending conduct purely to youth, youthful folly or lack of self-restraint, she said.<\/p>\n
Justice Chionh said it was also troubling that Chen himself informed his IMH psychiatrist that he continued to molest other inmates and even prison staff while he was remanded.<\/p>\n
Still, she accepted that Chen had shown genuine remorse including voluntarily submitting to chemical castration.<\/p>\n
For sexual penetration of a minor, he could have been jailed for up to 20 years and fined or caned.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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