SINGAPORE: A man who found a 16-year-old” sugar baby” online was on Friday ( Dec 13 ) convicted of paying the girl for sex folllowing a trial.
Mario Antonio Di Dier, a 42-year-old Singaporean, was found guilty on five works of paying the target for gender between Dec 2, 2021 and Apr 13, 2022.
In Singapore, the legal age for acceptance for gender is 16 years old. However, having professional intercourse with a small under the age of 18 is prohibited.
Di Dier and the woman met in November 2021 via the Sugarbook site. The maximum time to apply Sugarbook is 18, according to the site.
The site advertises itself as a dating service that connects” sugar dads” with” sugar infants,” a type of relationship that typically involves offering financial help for sexual favors or compassion.
The victim, who reported a sexual encounter with Di Dier to the authorities in August 2022, claimed that she had consensual sex with him and paid her afterward, was the one who called the police.
At test, Di Dier agreed that they had intercourse, but denied paying her. He claimed that because she was his companion and in financial need, he gave her money.
The sufferer told Di Dier she had sex because she needed funds and that she had told him her costs for various sexual acts before the prosecution’s case was brought. Di Dier agreed, and they started a sexual relationship on this premise.
District Judge Ow Yong Tuck Leong found that the child was an “unusually encouraging” and truthful witness, while Di Dier was hardly credible.
According to the victim, she was paid S$ 300 ( US$ 223 ) for performing a sexual act on Di Dier during their first meeting on Dec 2, 2021.
In her mind, Di Dier was her” honey mommy” paying her for sex, and this led to her meeting him again, said Judge Ow Yong. She was paid S$ 300 for physical works on four subsequent events.
By the time he met the sufferer, Di Dier was aware of how Sugarbook operated, according to the judge.
Gladys Lim, the deputy public prosecutor, claimed he had previously met several people on the system and offered them cash for sex as well. He even became aware that the sufferer was underage.
The child and Di Dier both shared a passion for looking after a kitten that she brought to one of their discussions, according to Judge Ow Yong.
The lady argued that she had intercourse with Di Dier because she had agreed to meet him for various reasons, such as seeing the kitten, and that she had lied when she met him and was only paid for it.
But the judge found that caring for the cat did not change their unique” glucose” relationship.
The defense claimed that the sufferer was Di Dier’s girl, that their sexual relationship was common, and that he would occasionally give his sweetheart money.
But Judge Ow Yong observed that in their marriage, Di Dier just arranged for the child to go to his house, and they did not go out for pleasure. She was supposed to return home after having intercourse.
The judge noted that Di Dier and the woman had never engaged in romantic relationships.
The target claimed that she wanted to continue having intercourse with Di Dier because she was paid, but he refused and stopped meeting her. She finally made the police record.
Judge Ow Yong rejected the defense’s claim that the victim’s failure to report Di Dier until four months after their last meeting suggested a” cautious purpose” on her part. There is no proof for that, he discovered.
The judge argued that parliament’s intention when passing the law enforcing this offence was to safeguard young people because they are juvenile, susceptible, and susceptible to being exploited, and should be prevented from providing sexual services.
He said the burden was on the older man to “do appropriate” and not take advantage of the target for sexual pleasure, even if the victim offered physical services.
In this case, Di Dier had seen markings on the woman’s figure that indicated self-harm, and so, even more so should not have taken advantage of her risk, the prosecutor said.
On February 10, 2025, Di Dier may go back to court for punishment.
He may face jail time for up to seven times, a fine, or both for each offense for having professional intercourse with a small under the age of 18.
Other people in Singapore have been found guilty after meeting adolescents on Sugarbook and paying for their gender.
In January, 39-year-old Benjamin Huang Junlong , was jailed for physical insertion of a 15-year-old woman and filming the action without her consent, among other crimes.
In October 2022, 47-year-old Aloi Gregory Marshall was sentenced to jail for paying a 17-year-old child S$ 1, 000 for intercourse.