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Teen who tried to extort money from sex worker given probation

Singapore state courts (Yahoo News Singapore file photo)
Singapore state courts (Yahoo News Singapore file photo)

A teenager met a prostitute and tried to extort from the Chinese national by threatening to report her illegal sexual services to the police.

Instead, Jonathan Kong Jia Xiong, 19, was reported to the police.

On Tuesday (15 January), Kong was sentenced to 18 months of probation on one count of attempted extortion. Another charge involving another prostitute was taken into consideration for his sentencing.

When the Institute of Technical Education student previously pleaded guilty to the offence, the court heard that Kong had received a phone call from someone who asked if he wanted to earn easy money.

The caller, known as Kelvin, instructed Kong to visit prostitutes and threaten to call the police if they did not hand him cash. It was unclear how they became acquainted with each other.

Kong agreed and the duo met on 19 June last year at a flat in Serangoon. Kelvin gave Kong a phone with several SIM cards and phone numbers of prostitutes to call.

Kong then visited the flat of a 40-year-old prostitute, who asked him to pay $100 up front for massage and sexual services.

Kong refused to pay and demanded money from the woman. When the woman refused, Kong told her it was illegal for her to provide sexual services in Singapore. He threatened to call the police to have her arrested if she did not give him cash.

The woman refused him again and said she would report Kong to the police for attempting to extort money from her. Kong left the flat without collecting any money.

For his offence, Kong could have been jailed between two and five years and caned.

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