Reformative training for NS man who owned and traded sexually explicit videos of children
Reformative training for NS man who owned and traded sexually explicit videos of children
SINGAPORE – A 20-year-old national serviceman who had 10 sexually explicit videos of children in his electronic devices, and traded such videos with other individuals on social networking platforms, has been sentenced to reformative training.
Mohamed Danial Rafiuddin Mohamed Rashid was deemed unsuitable for probation. He will be detained in a centre to undergo a strict regimen that can include foot drills and counselling.
Danial pleaded guilty on Feb 4 to one count of having the video clips in his iPad and mobile phone.
At his sentencing hearing on May 6, Deputy Public Prosecutor Samuel Chew said after Danial pleaded guilty, he gave information to his probation officer that contradicted court documents.
This showed that he lacked remorse and acceptance of responsibility for his offence, said the prosecutor.
Danial had told investigators that he was first exposed to child pornography sometime in 2016, when he came across a Facebook group containing videos of children engaging in sexual acts.
He obtained copies of such videos by screen recording and saving them in his electronic devices.
DPP Chew told the court previously: 'The accused also admitted that he traded and exchanged child pornography videos with other like-minded individuals on Telegram, WhatsApp and Facebook.
'The accused admitted to doing so... until a few weeks prior to his arrest (in 2023), and that he had traded with around 10 to 15 individuals.'
Without revealing details, the prosecutor said that in December 2023, the police received a tip-off that Danial was suspected to be in possession of child abuse materials.
Officers raided his home later that month and arrested him. They also seized his electronic devices, including his mobile phone and iPad.
One of the clips showed a girl who appeared to be between five and seven years old, while the other nine videos showed boys who seemed to be between six and 14 years old.
After Deputy Principal District Judge Kessler Soh handed down the sentence, Danial's father pleaded for a more lenient sentence for his son.
Speaking through a Malay interpreter, his father said: 'I understand that he has done wrong and his offence is quite serious. However, I hope Your Honour could lower his sentence as he is still young; he is still in National Service.'
The father added that he always accompanied Danial while he was out on bail, and his son has not reoffended since.
Judge Soh said he understood the sentence was difficult for Danial's father to accept, but the duration of reformation training is necessary to ensure he does not reoffend.
The judge also directed the family to speak to a court counsellor after the hearing.
Christine Tan is a journalist at The Straits Times reporting on crime, justice and social issues in Singapore.
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