Repeat offender had unprotected sex with girl, 13, at staircase landing of multi-storey carpark

Kok Yufeng
The New Paper
Nov 19, 2019

He was given probation in 2014 and sentenced to reformative training a year later for having underage sex.

But this did not deter the Singapore permanent resident, Rojas Gil Dominic Barbosa, from having sex with a minor again last year. He even told the 13-year-old student to keep mum because of his previous conviction.

Rojas, who was 22 and unemployed then, pleaded guilty yesterday to having sex with a girl under 14. She cannot be named because of a gag order to protect her identity.

Rojas, a Filipino, got to know the girl through the live streaming app Bigo Live on March 25, 2018, the court heard. She told him she was 13 and in secondary school.

He asked her for her mobile number and they chatted on WhatsApp. He asked the girl to meet him near his home in Sengkang that day at about 1.35pm.

Rojas started asking her about past relationships and her sexual history. When she said she did not have any sexual experience, Rojas asked if she would like to have sex with him.

The girl was not willing and kept quiet, Deputy Public Prosecutor Chee Ee Ling told District Judge Marvin Bay.

Rojas took her to a staircase landing at an Anchorvale Road multi-storey carpark, where he again asked if she wanted to have sex with him. She refused again but eventually agreed.

After having unprotected sex, Rojas told her not to tell anyone about it as he had previously been incarcerated for underage sex.

He then asked the girl to be his girlfriend and she agreed. They left the carpark at about 5.25pm, going their separate ways.

The girl later regretted her decision to have sex with Rojas, ceasing all contact with him and blocking him on Bigo Live, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Her mother called the police on June 8, 2018, and Rojas was arrested on June 19.

While a psychiatric evaluation found Rojas did not fulfil the diagnostic criteria for paedophilic disorder, he clearly showed problems managing his sexual urges given his rate of re-offending and should receive psychiatric interventions, DPP Chee said.

Meanwhile, the girl was seen twice at the Institute of Mental Health's emergency ward- for a suicide attempt on May 31, 2018, and again for self-harm.

The case will be heard again on Jan 10 next year.

For having sex with a minor below 14 years old, Rojas can be jailed for up to 20 years, caned or fined.