Jonathan Ching Wang De, 25, was sentenced on 18 June to 2 years and 11 months jail, as well as a fine of $1,000.
He pleaded guilty to recruiting a child for sexual exploitation under the Prevention of HUman Trafficking Act (PHTA), cheating and transmitting an obscene image.
Ching had reportedly recruited a 13-year-old girl to perform sexual acts on another man in exchange for video footage of the act.
The other man, who received sexual favours from the victim, Muhammed Ayub P.N Shahul Hameed, 30-years-old, was sentenced to 2 years jail in August 2019 for having sex with a minor.
What happened?
Ching had contacted Ayub via an advertisement website Locanto after seeing his post requesting for sexual services.
Ching then offered to arrange meetings with women for him, in exchange for videos of the sex act, instead of money.
Ching then recruited a woman for this arrangement but Ayub wanted $750 for the video he took of her.
Ching then offered Ayub another girl if he agreed to film her and send the video clip to him.
Ching then found a 13-year-old girl on Instagram on March 2018.
He promised her fast cash by performing the sexual act and the girl lied that she was 14, agreeing to the arrangement as she needed money.
Ayub promised to pay the girl $1,500 but he had no intention of fulfilling that promise.
The girl then went to Ayub’s house in June 2018, lying that she was 18.
He then filmed her while having sex, with the girl’s knowledge.
Ayub then took a screenshot and sent a 1-minute video clip to Ching.
Ching asked for the full video of the girl as well as the first woman that he sent to Ayub, who refused and demanded either cash or a second meeting with the girl.
Ching then lied to the girl that Ayub was threatening to send the videos to her Instagram followeres and post them online unless she met him again or gave him $300.
The girl refused.
Ching then pretended to be a girl on Tumblr, calling himself “Crystal” to lure other men into his scheme.
A man soon contacted “Crystal” and paid $300 to him after he sent him a screenshot of the teenage girl performing a sex act, and the money was sent to Ayub.
At this point, Ayub then blocked Ching from all forms of contact and still didn’t send him the videos.
Ching then contacted one of the girl’s followers on Instagram to ask her to reply to his messages.
He then sent the follower a screenshot of Ayub’s video and asked her if she wanted a video like that of herself.
The woman declined and called the police after contacting the girl.