.:P9:.

Internet & Sex Predators

Faith Huang
Velugopal Salini
Amanda Pang
Christina Lim
Jobina Tan
 Sexual Grooming
One-Eyed Bandit Law
 Internet & Statistics

Internet is a powerful, pervasive medium that allow access to the

world with just a click.

Current cyber laws are vague - can become very complicated

as it’s harder to monitor specific action especially in chat rooms.
 Internet & Statistics

3,104,900 people in Singapore have Internet Access.

(67.4% Internet penetration as at Nov’08, per ITU)

research, entertainment and

Using Internet for

communication i.e keep or make more friends

 Internet & Statistics

124 reported cases of females who become

Btw 2001 and 2006, there were

victim to sex crimes after meeting their abusers online.

80 of them are under 16 years old

(Sample size :1,400 sec 1-3 students)
Before the grooming law was passed…
Stay Tuned.
 What is Sexual Grooming Bill?

The Bill is passed on 17 September 2007.

A new section (section 376E – Sexual grooming of minor under 16) was introduced

offence to meet or travel to meet a minor under

to make it an

16 years of age after sexual grooming.

 Grooming Bill

Prior meeting/communication (which can take place in or

outside Singapore) on at least 2 occasions as an indication of the

offender’s (at least 21 years of age) intent of grooming the minor for

sexual activities.
 Grooming Bill

Offender must travel to meet or intentionally meet the

victim in Singapore, with the intent to commit a sexual offence with the minor. The

penalty is a maximum imprisonment term of 3 years, or

fine or both.
 Advantages

Protect minors in the physical realm

Serves as a warning for Sex predators from prowling the online landscape
for prey under the guise of making friends

Strengthen Police's hand in preventing any harm from befalling the victim

That law enforcement authorities can now intervene at an earlier stage would be

sufficient to send a chilling effect on would-be sex predators

 Case Study
28 Aug 2001
Tay Kim Kuan v Public Prosecutor
 The appellant, Tay Kim Kuan (a 45 years old) was being sentenced to

$10,000 maximum fine and 12 months imprisonment for

having sexual intercourse with a minor at

15 years old.
 Before Sexual Grooming Law

successful prosecution for an attempted

In order to secure a

sexual offence, it would require the offender to be

caught in doing something very close in proximity to the

sexual offence in question.
 After The Sexual Grooming Law

With the new sexual grooming law, predators will

think twice before even trying to communicate with a minor for sexual
related motives as authorities have the right to charge him solely on

his intentions.
At which point does being friendly with a young girl
turn into sexual grooming?
 The definition of "sexual grooming - in which an adult befriends and
establishes emotional control over a child, paving the way for sexual
abuse or rape" is also vague.

Police act upon tip-off or the victim must really make a Police report
before the Police will investigate.

Can we make that an offence without the actual act of sex having
been committed?
 explained just now, this is something that we are looking at
“As I have

because we know that there have been situations when this has

happened and the current law does not adequately

address the problem.”
(Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee)
But at which point does this turn into sexual grooming?
Concerned that an innocent person just joking with a minor could be
arrested. 'What if the person was just pulling the other person's leg? Online

records will not be enough.’

For acrime to have been committed, the act must take
place and it must take place with a certain intent.
(Mr RS Bajwa, 57, a senior civil and criminal litigation lawyer)
Cannot charge someone because he communicated with a girl
twice.
conduct / intentional vs mental ?
 An Attempt Provision
The new offence is effectively a more detailed ‘attempt’ provision, where the
‘attempted offence’ is the sexual offence that the accused intended to commit upon
meeting the minor.

Conduct Requirements
In terms of conduct, the new offence requires an accused to either have met or
travelled to meet the minor. He must also have either met or communicated with the
minor on at least two prior occasions.

Mental Requirements
The new offence appears to require the same mental state in that it requires proof that
the accused intended to commit a sexual offence with the minor.
 Recommendations

To have a more comprehensive and clear set of criteria

layout to determine the offence.
How to insulate our young from encountering sex predators and
other undesirable influences?
 Public Education

important role to play.

Parents, schools and the community also have an

They must instill the correct values in our young and promote

safe practices online.

 Industry Regulation
Media development authority (MDA)

Parents Advisory Group for the Internet (PAGi)

National Internet Advisory Council (NIAC)

Singapore Infocomm Technology Federations (SiTF)

Local internet service providers (ISPs)

Internet Industry Association of Singapore

 Sexual Grooming Law is not clearly
The current

defined to stop the rise of internet sex predators in the short-run.

 References
http://www.parliament.gov.sg/reports/public/hansard/title/20071022/20071022_S0004_T0007.html

http://magnezium.blogspot.com/2007/10/new-sexual-grooming-law.html

http://www.parliament.gov.sg/reports/public/hansard/title/20071023/20071023_S0003_T0002.html

http://amumsworstnightmare.blogspot.com/2007/12/just-what-is-sexual-grooming.html

http://projectrgb.wordpress.com/category/youth-cybercrimes/

http://www.singaporelawreview.org/2007/12/anti-grooming-law-the-first-step/

http://www.lawnet.com

http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats3.htm#asia

http://iloveit-media.blogspot.com/2008/02/sunday-times-17-feb-2008.html
Alfred Choi, PhD Wee Kim Wee School of Communication & Information, NTU &National Crime
Prevention Council

http://siewkumhong.blogspot.com/search/label/Penal%20Code

Interview with Lawyer, Mr Rajan Supramaniam