Dishwasher, 28, jailed for groping, raping 12-year-old girl in HDB stairwell after sexting on Instagram
A male dishwasher has been jailed after engaging in sexual acts with a 12-year-old girl, whom he had exchanged sexual messages with on Instagram.
The man was sentenced to 10 years, eight months, and two weeks in prison, a fine of $350, and 13 strokes of the cane.
According to Shin Min Daily News, 28-year-old Russell Alousius Kessler pleaded guilty to six charges on the morning of July 23. The charges include:
- Rape
- Violation of the Computer Misuse Act
- Violation of the Children and Youth Act
- Rioting
Seven other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Met victim on Instagram and chatted about sexual topics
Kessler first met the victim on Instagram in October 2023, and the pair chatted online for several months afterwards.
By January 2024, their conversations increasingly involved sexually explicit topics, and the pair even began discussing meeting in person for sexual relations.
They arranged to meet on Jan 3, 2024, and Kessler booked a private hire car to pick her up from school and ferry her to Tampines.
At about 3.57pm, Kessler brought her to the third floor of an HDB block — a location he knew was usually deserted, having engaged in intimate acts with his ex-girlfriend there on multiple occasions.
Upon reaching the location, Kessler proceeded to grope the girl and have sexual intercourse with her, only ending the meeting about two hours later when the girl’s mobile phone began to ring.
That evening, the girl’s sister discovered that she had met up with Kessler. She then contacted him through a mutual friend, confronted him with several family members, and reported the matter to the police.
Investigations revealed that Kessler committed the offences while out on bail for an unrelated case. Following his re-arrest, he had remained in remand.
Previous convictions include rioting, facilitating scams
Kessler had previously been arrested for rioting and had also opened bank accounts for criminals to make a quick buck.
Before November 2021, he opened three new bank accounts at his friend's suggestion and handed over the account details in exchange for money.
Investigations found that funds linked to several scam cases had passed through the three accounts.
In another incident on Oct 2, 2023, Kessler and five girls aged between 11 and 17 assaulted a 16-year-old girl.
The prosecution noted that Kessler continued to commit offences despite having a criminal record and being placed on probation. He was sentenced to reformative training for his previous offences.
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