12-year-old among 272 arrested for online child porn by S'pore, HK and S. Korean police in joint operation

A total of 272 people were arrested by Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korean police in a cross-border operation targeting online child sexual exploitation activities between Feb 26 and March 29.

The youngest arrested is 12 and the oldest 73.

During the five-week operation, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department and the seven Land Divisions in collaboration with their international counterparts conducted raids at 236 locations in Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea.

Electronic devices, including 50 computers, 26 laptops, 39 handphones, six tablets, 91 storage devices and one router, associated with the alleged crimes found at 44 locations in Singapore were seized.

Twenty-eight people, aged between 18 and 59, were arrested in Singapore for allegedly possessing, gaining access and distributing child abuse materials, sexual communication with minor, transmission and sale of obscene materials, and investigated for the offence of possession of obscene films.

Among the arrested were a seller and his seven buyers of child abuse materials in Singapore.

Another 16 persons, aged between 22 and 70, are assisting with police investigations. Preliminary investigations revealed that some of the men obtained child abuse materials through messaging platforms.

The remaining suspects arrested in Hong Kong and South Korea have allegedly committed similar crimes involving child abuse materials.

Among those arrested in Singapore, nine have been referred to the Home Team Community Assistance and Referral Scheme, where social workers will conduct social triaging on them and assess whether further intervention is needed.

Any person who has in possession, or has gained access to child abuse material, and knows or has reason to believe that the material is child abuse material shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years, and shall also be liable to a fine or caning.

Those who distribute, or sell, or offer for sale child abuse material or have in the possession child abuse material for the purpose of such distribution, sale or offer for sale, and know or have reason to believe that the material is child abuse material shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to a fine or to caning.

Anyone of or above 18 years of age shall be guilty of an offence if he, for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification from another person below 16 years of age, engages in communication that is sexual in nature.

A person who is guilty of this offence shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both if the victim is below 14 years of age, and in any other case, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.