SINGAPORE: A man who paid a 17-year-old girl S$1,000 for sex after meeting her on dating website Sugarbook was sentenced to 12 weeks’ jail on Wednesday (Oct 19).
Aloi Gregory Marshall, 47, pleaded guilty to one charge of obtaining sexual services of a person under 18 years of age.
A second charge of possessing obscene films was considered in sentencing.
The court heard that the American browsed the Sugarbook website in early 2021 for companionship. According to its website, Sugarbook aims to connect “sugar daddies” or “sugar mommies” with “sugar babes” in a relationship where adults get “companionship, mentorship, financial and emotional support”.
Marshall chanced upon the profile of the victim, a Vietnamese national who was then 17.
They began messaging on the website before continuing to chat on Telegram in April 2021. Marshall introduced himself and asked the victim if she was 18.
She said she was turning 18 that December. Marshall asked the victim if she was interested to meet for sex, citing payment of S$1,000 for having sex twice in two hours.
The victim agreed and they arranged to meet. On Apr 24, 2021, the victim went to meet Marshall at Delfi Orchard, where he stayed.
They had sex before cuddling and talking for half an hour. Marshall left S$1,000 as consideration for the victim’s sexual services.
After this, Marshall reached out again to the victim in late April 2021, asking to meet. However, they could not find a suitable date.
He contacted her on another two occasions in May 2021, asking if she could meet or if she was free, but she did not reply.
The victim was housed at a home after being referred there by social workers. This was after her mother died from pneumonia and her relationship with her father broke down.
A case worker lodged a police report to address concerns that the victim was engaging in commercial sex.
The prosecution asked for 12 to 14 weeks’ jail, saying the sentence was already revised downwards from the previous submitted term. It is now “well within the lowest end” for offenders who had “made some inquiry” as to the victim’s age.
She said Marshall had proceeded even though he had found out that the victim was a minor. He also communicated with the victim thereafter to arrange for another session of commercial sex, said the prosecutor.
Defence lawyer Gino Hardial Singh said his client thought the victim “was of age”.
“Our position is that he did not do the necessary checks and was careless,” he said.
The prosecution said they did not accept the defence’s position that Marshall had misread the victim’s message where she said she was under 18.
They also disputed the defence’s point that Marshall had communicated further with the victim as he liked her and wanted to see her again and know her better, and that this was not about commercial sex.
The judge granted Marshall a deferment of sentence to settle his affairs.
The penalty for obtaining for consideration the sexual services of a person under 18 is a jail term of up to seven years, a fine, or both.