Singaporean man jailed 1.5 years for paying 16-year-old ‘sugar baby’ for sex
A 42-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to one-and-a-half years in jail on Monday (10 Feb) for paying an underage girl for sex.
Mario Antonio Di Dier was convicted on five counts of engaging in commercial sex with the 16-year-old victim between 2 Dec 2021 and 13 April 2022.
While the legal age of sexual consent in Singapore is 16, paying for sexual services from anyone under 18 is a criminal offence.
Met sugar baby via dating platform Sugarbook
Di Dier first connected with the victim in November 2021 through Sugarbook, a dating platform that facilitates arrangements between “sugar daddies” and “sugar babies”.
A sugar daddy is a wealthy older man who financially supports a younger sugar baby in exchange for companionship, which may involve romance or intimacy.
Source: Malaysiakini
According to Sugarbook’s stated policies, users must be at least 18 years old to join.
However, the victim testified that she signed up for the website due to financial difficulties.
She and Di Dier later agreed on payments for various sexual acts, leading to multiple encounters, the prosecution said.
Victim files police report after learning of another underage girl
In August 2022, the victim lodged a police report detailing her involvement in commercial sex with Di Dier.
During investigations, Di Dier admitted to having sex with the girl but denied paying her, claiming that any financial assistance he provided was out of friendship.
The victim, on the other hand, stated that she received S$300 per encounter, amounting to five paid sexual acts since their first meeting.
She decided to report him after discovering that he had engaged in a similar arrangement with her 17-year-old friend.
The prosecution revealed that the victim confided in her psychiatrist, stating that Di Dier had initially hesitated to pay for sex with an underage girl but later showed no such concerns when meeting another minor.
Feeling guilty, she proceeded with the police report at her psychiatrist’s urging, believing it was necessary to prevent further incidents.
Man was aware of victim’s self-harm scars
During an earlier hearing, the judge stressed that the responsibility lay with the older individual to act appropriately and not exploit a minor for sexual gratification, even if the victim had offered sexual services.
The court also noted that Di Dier was aware of the victim’s self-harm scars, further underscoring her vulnerability.
For each charge of engaging in commercial sex with a minor under 18, he faced a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Also read: S’pore conman seeking ‘sugar baby’ cheats multiple women, faces jail & fine
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Featured image adapted from Malay Mail and by MS News.
