A teenager who had sex with a 10-year-old girl in late 2007 and early last year was placed on 18 months' probation yesterday. Xia Yun, 19, who pleaded guilty to two counts of carnal connection, was 17 when he had sex with the girl in his Woodlands home on Nov 9, 2007. When they had sex again a few weeks later, she had turned 11. Two other similar charges were taken into consideration. He was in court with his parents, who signed a bond of $5,000 to ensure his good behaviour. A permanent resident, Xia looked relieved after Community Court Judge Soh Tze Bian decided to place him on probation instead of sending him to jail.
Under the probation order, Xia, who is now married with a two-month-old son, has to do 100 hours of community service work. The girl he had sex with came to know Xia, who is now waiting to be enlisted into national service, in December 2006 when she was surfing a multi-player online gaming website. They began contacting each other through calls and text messages. Soon after he sent her a love poem on Valentine's Day of 2007, they became a couple and met often in Tampines.