Singapore man convicted for organising sex tour

Singapore, Feb 6: A Singapore man was on Friday convicted of organising a commercial sex tour overseas and distributing information intended to promote paid sex with a minor outside the city.

Chan Chun Hong pleaded guilty to seven counts of transmitting obscene material by electronic means, one count of making travel plans, three counts of distributing information to promote commercial sex, and one of having obscene films, The Straits Times reported.

Another 133 charges, mostly for transmitting obscene material, will be considered when he is sentenced.

Following a tip-off from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2013, Chan, also known as Chris, was arrested at Singapore's Changi Airport March 1, 2014.

Information received suggested he had engaged in child sex tourism in countries such as Indonesia, Cambodia and the Philippines.

Investigations showed that he saved his collection of child pornography in his portable hard disk and transmitted it to other users in exchange for new material between Dec 2, 2011 and Sep 6, 2012.

The obscene photographs and videos included naked or half-naked young girls in various sexual acts and poses. Some appeared to be as young as two.

The prosecution is seeking a jail sentence of at least six years for Chan, whose lawyer Rajan Nair asked that the case be adjourned to Feb 16.

The maximum penalty for taking a tour outside Singapore for commercial sex with a minor is 10 years in jail and a fine on each charge.

IANS