{
  "id": 7253600,
  "title": "Jail, caning for man who raped 2 teen girls, sexually assaulted third female minor",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/jail-caning-for-man-who-raped-2-teen-girls-sexually-assaulted-third",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-14T05:55:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Straits Times",
    "slug": "straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/jail-caning-for-man-who-raped-2-teen-girls-sexually-assaulted-third-female-minor"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 2023, a youth, around 17 years old, allegedly raped two teenage girls. The first victim was 13 years old and the second was 14 years old. The police became aware of the incidents after receiving reports from the victims' relatives. The offender had conversations with the victims on social media platforms and subsequently raped them in separate instances. Despite being alerted by the police each time, he was not arrested until he turned 18 in 2024. His third offense involved raping a 14-year-old girl in June of that year.\n\nThe offender, now 20, pleaded guilty to one count of rape and two counts of sexually penetrating a minor. He was sentenced to nine years in jail and 12 strokes of the cane on September 14. The identities and details of the victims are under a gag order.\n\nAccording to prosecutors, the first victim met the offender on TikTok and they had consensual unprotected sex at his home. She reported him to the police after realizing he had not used protection. The second victim was introduced to the offender through a social gathering and later had unprotected sexual intercourse with him at a staircase landing. She also reported him to the police.\n\nThe third victim, a close friend of the second victim, first communicated with the offender on Instagram. They met at a staircase landing in June 2024, where he again had sexual intercourse with her. She reported him to the police shortly after.\n\nThe number of rape cases has significantly increased, with a total of 479 reported in 2025, compared to 401 in the previous year. Additionally, the number of sexual assault cases involving minors has also risen. The Ministry of Home Affairs has been strengthening laws to protect victims, including those pertaining to molestation, voyeurism, and sexual offenses.",
  "summary": "The offender was around 17 years old when he started committing the offences in 2023.",
  "key_points": [
    "17-year-old man raped two teenage girls in 2023",
    "20-year-old offender sentenced to 9 years in jail and 12 cane strokes on September 14",
    "14-year-old victim met offender on Instagram in June 2024"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The sentencing of the 20-year-old offender reflects a strict approach to serious sexual offenses against minors, amid a broader trend of increasing rape and sexual assault cases.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}