A POLYTECHNIC student aged 23 befriended a 13-year-old secondary schoolgirl through a “making friends” column in a teen magazine – and began pursuing her along a decidedly sexual tack.
She told him she had a boyfriend and was not interested, but Wang Jianbin did not let this stop him.
He threatened his way into meeting her in her home, where he raped her in her room while her brother was in the living room with his piano teacher.
Yesterday, High Court judge Chan Seng Onn dealt the now 24-year-old a 13-year jail term, and ordered him to be given 15 strokes of the cane.
Wang pleaded guilty to rape; a charge each of criminal intimidation and sexual assault were taken into consideration.
The sentence was heavier than that sought by the prosecution, which had asked the court to give him at least 10 years’ jail and six strokes of the cane.
Justice Chan said he “heard” Wang’s request through his lawyer that he be given more strokes of the cane in exchange for a shorter prison sentence, so he could come out to be with his mother and 10-year-old sister. The judge did not say whether the sentence factored this in.
Wang came here from China with his family in 1997, became a citizen in 2005, and did national service as a commando.
He got to know the girl, who cannot be named, in October 2009. They started chatting through instant messaging and later via text messages and phone calls.
The girl felt uncomfortable with the sexual questions he asked her, such as the colour of her underwear and whether she had a boyfriend she had sex with.
When he began pressing her for a meeting through text messages, she rebuffed him, saying she was in a sexual relationship with her boyfriend and was not interested in meeting him.
On Dec 2, while she had a 17-year-old male friend visiting her in her home, Wang plied her with messages saying he
wanted to visit her.
When she turned him down, the bullying and blackmailing began: He threatened to “find trouble” with her friend if she did not give him her address.
Wang was undaunted even when the girl gave the phone to her friend and asked him to pose as her father to warn Wang against harassing her. The friend, sensing trouble ahead, called another boy, aged 18, to join them at her home.
Wang then stepped up his threats. He told the girl he already had her address and that he would bring his gang to “mess up” her home and tell her parents that she had sex with her boyfriend.
The girl asked the two boys to hide in her mother’s room and to call for help if she could not handle Wang.
When Wang arrived, she took him to her room as he demanded, believing he would not do anything to her with her brother and his piano teacher in the flat.
He shut the bedroom door and began violating her. At this point, the 18-year-old entered the room, armed with a martial arts spear belonging to the girl’s brother, but was chased out of the room after a struggle.
As her friends ran for help, Wang raped her. He was there when the boys returned with civil defence officers; the police arrived soon after and arrested him.
Yesterday, his divorced parents were in court. His mother broke down in tears after the sentencing. His father told reporters the sentence was stiffer than the 10 years asked for by the prosecution and declined further comment.
The punishment for rape is up to 20 years’ jail and caning or a fine.
She told him she had a boyfriend and was not interested, but Wang Jianbin did not let this stop him.
He threatened his way into meeting her in her home, where he raped her in her room while her brother was in the living room with his piano teacher.
Yesterday, High Court judge Chan Seng Onn dealt the now 24-year-old a 13-year jail term, and ordered him to be given 15 strokes of the cane.
Wang pleaded guilty to rape; a charge each of criminal intimidation and sexual assault were taken into consideration.
The sentence was heavier than that sought by the prosecution, which had asked the court to give him at least 10 years’ jail and six strokes of the cane.
Justice Chan said he “heard” Wang’s request through his lawyer that he be given more strokes of the cane in exchange for a shorter prison sentence, so he could come out to be with his mother and 10-year-old sister. The judge did not say whether the sentence factored this in.
Wang came here from China with his family in 1997, became a citizen in 2005, and did national service as a commando.
He got to know the girl, who cannot be named, in October 2009. They started chatting through instant messaging and later via text messages and phone calls.
The girl felt uncomfortable with the sexual questions he asked her, such as the colour of her underwear and whether she had a boyfriend she had sex with.
When he began pressing her for a meeting through text messages, she rebuffed him, saying she was in a sexual relationship with her boyfriend and was not interested in meeting him.
On Dec 2, while she had a 17-year-old male friend visiting her in her home, Wang plied her with messages saying he
wanted to visit her.
When she turned him down, the bullying and blackmailing began: He threatened to “find trouble” with her friend if she did not give him her address.
Wang was undaunted even when the girl gave the phone to her friend and asked him to pose as her father to warn Wang against harassing her. The friend, sensing trouble ahead, called another boy, aged 18, to join them at her home.
Wang then stepped up his threats. He told the girl he already had her address and that he would bring his gang to “mess up” her home and tell her parents that she had sex with her boyfriend.
The girl asked the two boys to hide in her mother’s room and to call for help if she could not handle Wang.
When Wang arrived, she took him to her room as he demanded, believing he would not do anything to her with her brother and his piano teacher in the flat.
He shut the bedroom door and began violating her. At this point, the 18-year-old entered the room, armed with a martial arts spear belonging to the girl’s brother, but was chased out of the room after a struggle.
As her friends ran for help, Wang raped her. He was there when the boys returned with civil defence officers; the police arrived soon after and arrested him.
Yesterday, his divorced parents were in court. His mother broke down in tears after the sentencing. His father told reporters the sentence was stiffer than the 10 years asked for by the prosecution and declined further comment.
The punishment for rape is up to 20 years’ jail and caning or a fine.
