Eight men aged between 23 and 41 were charged in Singapore court on August 3 with obtaining commercial sex from one of two 16-year-old girls in offences that occurred in February 2024 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The men are identified as Muhamad Haziq Bakatiar (23), Irham Hussaini Mohamad Hussain (24), Syahirul Daud Abdul Razak (26), Muhammad Ameerulah Noor Mohamed (27), Wilfred Ang Shui Lai (34), Muhammad Ngasri Sengngari (35 or 36), Muhammad ‘Aizat Khalis Daud (38), and Fazal Hanafi Abdul Hameed Chaudhry (41) [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
The alleged offences took place at locations such as staircase landings, a handicap toilet, a multi-storey carpark, and parked vehicles in Bedok North and Geylang Bahru [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The men allegedly paid sums ranging from S$30 to S$150 for sex or sex acts from one of the 16-year-old girls [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
In addition, a 20-year-old Singaporean woman was charged with trafficking one of the 16-year-old girls for sexual exploitation and facilitating commercial sex services involving both victims [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. She faces five charges, including trafficking for exploitation and profiting from prostitution, and allegedly received S$1,435 linked to one victim’s exploitation [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The woman and the victims lived at the same shelter, and she used Telegram to arrange and profit from sexual services [3].
The identities of the accused woman and the victims remain protected by court gag orders to prevent identification [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The accused woman told the court she intends to admit to her offences and does not plan to engage a lawyer [1, 2, 4, 5].
If convicted, the men face up to seven years in jail and fines. The woman faces up to 10 years in jail and fines up to S$100,000 under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act [3].
