MAN FINED $25,000 FOR VICE ACTIVITIES - Teens, pimp went from table to table
They solicited openly at Geylang coffee shop, sometimes in broad daylight
By Hedy Khoo
October 30, 2008
COFFEE, tea or me?
HIGH JINKS AT COFFEE SHOP: The scene at a Geylang coffee shop near where Wang and the two prostitutes touted their services. TNP PICTURE
This was the indecent proposal from two girls from China as they went from table to table at a Geylang coffee shop, at times in broad daylight.
They were accompanied by their self-styled pimps - Chinese national Wang Minjiang, 36, and his nephew, Wang Youyi, 31.
Their selling point: The girls' youth.
One was only 17 and the other, 19. They sold their bodies for between $80 and $100.
In Singapore, you can be jailed up to seven years if you engage in commercial sex with anyone under 18.
While older China women can often be seen lingering around coffee shops in the area, pimps have not been known to make their rounds with girls in tow.
A regular at Geylang coffee shops, who wanted to be known only as Mr Tan, 51, said in Mandarin: 'It's common to see prostitutes chatting up old men, but you won't see underaged girls around here.
'Most of the prostitutes are in their 30s or 40s. The youngest ones are usually at least 21,' he said.
'Even then, if they look too young, most men would avoid them because they don't want to get into trouble.'
Geylang regulars say it is also unusual for pimps to negotiate deals with customers. The prostitutes usually negotiate directly with customers.
When The New Paper visited several coffee shops in Geylang on a weekday afternoon, the customers were mostly middle-aged or elderly men, usually with one or two Chinese women at their tables.
Some women would walk around asking the men if they could sit at their table and would try to chat with them.
The women seemed mostly in their early to mid-30s.
Seven charges
The older Wang's pimping was shortlived. About a week after his arrival, he was arrested and slapped with seven charges.
They included bringing the two women - one of whom was underaged - into Singapore for the purpose of prostitution, managing a place of assignation with his nephew, and for living in part on the earnings of a prostitute.
He also aided one customer to have sex with the underaged prostitute and committed these offences while here on a social visit pass.
He was fined $25,000 for his offences by the district court last month. He could not pay the fine and is serving a 25-week jail term in default.
He had arrived on 31 Jul and brought in the two teenagers.
According to court papers, a couple in China, known only as 'Mr Lee' and 'Pi', had arranged for Huang Pei Ying, 17, and Cai Yumei, 19, to work in Singapore as prostitutes.
Wang and his nephew were to be their pimps.
The girls paid Mr Lee 5,000 yuan ($1,100) for the arrangement.
Wang and his nephew took the girls to a coffee shop at Lorong 14 Geylang, where they would solicit for customers.
They helped the girls negotiate their fees.
The girls would check into nearby hotels to entertain their clients.
The two men would then escort the teenagers back to their lodgings at the end of each day.
For the first three days, the girls were allowed to keep their full earnings.
After that, each girl paid Wang $100 a day. He would split this money with his nephew.
To attract customers, Wang made it a point to highlight that Huang was only 17.
Sex with younger teen
On 4 Aug, Wang received a phone call from a man, Tan Chye Hin, who specified that he was interested in Huang and agreed to pay $100 for her sexual services.
Wang took Huang to the coffee shop to meet Tan. They then checked into a nearby hotel and had sex.
Two days later, on 6 Aug, Tan was arrested for having engaged in commercial sex with Huang, a minor.
Wang Youyi was arrested at the same time.
The police had found them at a flat on Sims Drive.
The two girls were arrested the following day.
Wang Minjiang was subsequently arrested and charged. One of his more serious offences was aiding Tan to engage in sex with a minor under 18 for a fee.
Court papers did not say if Tan was charged.
Since February, it has been illegal to engage in commercial sex with a minor below the age of 18. (See report, right.)
Wang pleaded for leniency, claiming that both his parents are dead and he is the sole breadwinner for his family.
He said he had come to Singapore to work, but was introduced to the trade by an agent in China.
District Judge Roy Neighbour said 'it did not appear that the offences were syndicated or organised' as it was 'Mr Lee' and 'Pi' who had arranged for the prostitutes to come here.
The girls had willingly come here to work as prostitutes.
But the judge noted that Wang 'did play an active role in the solicitation of sexual service'.
He also considered that the offences were committed over a short period and Wang's profit was only 'a small sum' of about $500 to $600.
The judge also took into account that the illegal activities were conducted not in a residential estate but from a coffee shop in Geylang, a designated 'red light' area.
Wang could have been jailed for 15 years.
Source:
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/st...81736,00.html? 
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