Man and Ex-Girlfriend Jailed for Rape of 13-Year-Old Girl

SINGAPORE: When a woman found out that her boyfriend had engaged in sex with a 13-year-old girl, she wanted to "retake control" of her relationship and facilitated a threesome involving the minor. The boyfriend, Markkus Mohsen Lim, a 24-year-old Singaporean, was sentenced to 10 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane on Tuesday (Jan 20) after pleading guilty to two counts of rape. His girlfriend at the time, Marija Beatriz Gargarita Tuble, a 29-year-old Filipino and Singapore permanent resident, was given eight years and nine months' jail after pleading guilty to one count of abetting rape. Other charges were taken into consideration for sentencing. Of Beatriz's sentence, three months is in lieu of caning. She cannot be caned as she is a woman. THE CASE The court heard that Lim was serving his National Service with the Singapore Police Force at the time of the offences in 2023. His girlfriend, Beatriz, was a product executive. In late May 2023, Lim came across the victim, who was in Secondary 1, on Omegle. The website was associated with sexual and paedophilic content and has since been shut down. The pair began exchanging messages on Omegle before moving to Telegram. The victim told Lim that she was 13, so he knew that it was illegal to engage in sexual activity with her, but he intended to do so anyway. He saved her name in his phone using the number 13 to identify her, a reference to her age. Lim began having sexually explicit conversations with the victim. He arranged to meet up with her for sex in June 2023 and did so unprotected at a staircase landing. The following day, his girlfriend Beatriz noticed that Lim had been exchanging messages with the victim. She found out that Lim had cheated on her by having sex with the victim, whom she knew was 13. Instead of ending her relationship with him, Beatriz wanted to "retake control" of her relationship with Lim by having sex with the victim together with him, the prosecutors said. She thought this would lessen the impact of his infidelity on her. In mid-June 2023, the couple arranged to meet the victim at Beatriz's home and arranged for a private-hire vehicle to take her there. The trio then engaged in various sex acts and Beatriz took at least six videos which she sent to the victim. After this incident, the couple tried to engage the victim for more sexual activity but could not as she blocked them a day after the threesome. In July 2023, the victim's mother filed a police report, stating that her daughter had been raped. The girl is now dead, although no details of her death were provided in open court. When the police came knocking in August 2023, Beatriz deleted all videos she had of the threesome from her phone before opening the door. SENTENCING ARGUMENTS Deputy Public Prosecutor Jeremy Bin sought 10 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane for Lim, and eight-and-a-half years' jail for Beatriz, along with three months' jail in lieu of caning. He said it was quite clear that rape is an extremely serious offence, with rape against minors "all the more so". Mr Bin said Lim was willing to pay the victim, though he did not ultimately do so. He had also exposed her to the risks of unwanted pregnancy. He said the couple knew that the victim was very young and vulnerable but took advantage of her instead of protecting her. Defence lawyer Noor Marican sought a lower sentence for his clients, saying they are very remorseful. Beatriz, who had been remanded, was allowed to say a few words for herself in mitigation via video-link. Crying, she said: "I'm truly sorry for what I have done. I've been feeling a lot of guilt, shame and regret ever since the incident happened. It is really not in my usual character or morals to commit such a crime or any crime for that matter. I was not in the right frame of mind at that time and I let my good judgment falter." She said she was very, very sorry to her family for causing them "so much pain and suffering" both emotionally and financially. She said she was "very worried" for her aging parents especially her father, who is a diabetic stroke patient. "It is really my biggest fear at this moment if something unfortunate happens to him and I'm not able to see him again for one last time," said Beatriz. "Your honour, this has been the biggest and most traumatic lesson in my life and my time here in remand allowed me to deeply reflect on how much I have strayed from the straight path. I have gained so much spiritually and ... something so valuable I will carry with me for the rest of my life." Lim, whose parents were in court sobbing, said: "Similarly, your honour, ever since the incident, I have realised my mistake and regretted my actions, be it to the victim, her family and also to all my loved ones." He said that what he did was "really out of character and against my morals". "I have always strived for excellence in everything I did in my life and now to see my aging parents, and I'm their only son, have to take on the punishment because of my actions, I really seek your compassion and your mercy to consider my parents, because they are really relying on me," he said. In response, District Judge Ong Luan Tze said she had no doubt about the sincerity of the offenders. "There are some things in life where regret comes too late," she said. "The offence has been committed, the harm has been caused. The crimes which you committed against the 13-year-old victim are nothing short of appalling and reprehensible." She said the pair had "exploited her vulnerability", her tender age, limited life experience and even her family circumstances. "There is limited leniency a court can show in the face of such serious offences," said Judge Ong. "Apart from the fact that you have pleaded guilty, I found nothing that was of substantive mitigating weight." She said that difficult personal circumstances and the resulting impact and hardship caused to the offenders' families, while very real, are not factors on which she could place mitigating weight. She said an increase in the sentence was clearly warranted for Lim, given the way he had groomed the victim and the multiple acts he committed against her. She added that the fact that Beatriz had abetted "such a heinous act" against the victim due to her own "emotional insecurities" was not a mitigating factor. She granted the defence's request for Lim to begin his jail term a month later so he could spend Chinese New Year with his parents. CNA has contacted the Attorney-General's Chambers for more information on how the victim died.