Terrance Teo Jian Xiang, 29, was sentenced to seven months in jail on 24 Jun 2025 for engaging in a sexual act with a 14-year-old girl.
The encounter was arranged by the girl’s 16-year-old male acquaintances.
Teen Acquaintances Arranged Sexual Services for Accommodation
The victim had met one of the acquaintances, referred to as A1, through Instagram. She approached A1 on 4 Jul 2024 asking for a place to stay.
She was living in a girls’ home at the time.
A1 told her he could find accommodation but demanded she provide sexual services to men in exchange. Deputy Public Prosecutor Melissa Heng said the girl “agreed as she felt that she had no choice”.
A1 introduced the victim to his friend A2, who advertised sexual services on a Telegram chat group called “Watermelon”. The two 16-year-old boys and the victim are protected by a gag order.
Teo was browsing the Telegram group the next day when he posted a message looking for a service. A1 or A2 responded within the same day.
They arranged for Teo to purchase a sexual service for S$200.
Court Proceedings and Defence Arguments
Teo met the girl at a Housing and Development Board block staircase landing in Punggol that evening. The victim asked if he was sent by “the boss” and Teo replied yes.
Teo made the payment through PayNow via a QR code to an account registered under A2’s name. The prosecutor noted that Teo did not ask for the victim’s name, age, or check her NRIC or other identification.
The victim set a two-minute alarm on her phone and performed the sexual act until the timer went off. She then said she had to leave and departed.
Teo later messaged A1 or A2 asking why the service lasted only two minutes. When requested for a review, he responded that the service was not provided in full.
The Telegram chat was subsequently deleted by A1 or A2.
Teo was arrested on 29 Aug 2024 and released on station bail on the same day. He pleaded guilty to one charge of sex with a minor aged below 16.
The prosecution sought an eight-month jail sentence while defence lawyer Zheng Yirong requested no more than five months. Zheng argued that Teo genuinely believed the girl was of legal age and that “her behaviour supported that belief”.
The defence maintained that Teo would not have proceeded if he knew the girl was underage. Zheng also noted the offence was a one-time incident arranged by someone unfamiliar to Teo, and that he neither groomed the victim nor coerced her.
Teo is one of three men charged with sexual offences involving the same underage girl over several days in early July 2024. The other two men, Goh Shao Heng, 24, and Yong Eak Chung, 28, are scheduled to plead guilty in July 2025.
The maximum punishment for sexually assaulting a minor is an imprisonment term of up to ten years, a fine, or both penalties.
Would you be jailed for being half-naked in public? Well, the answer will shock you. Seriously. Watch this to the end and you'll understand:
