A Singaporean man, Yong Ming Quan, 32, has received a 12-month jail sentence after admitting to the sexual grooming of a 14-year-old boy. The incident, which occurred in December 2024, involved Yong contacting the minor through Telegram, where he sought a “friends with benefits” relationship.
What Really Happened
The incident started in December 2024 when Yong first contacted the 14-year-old boy on Telegram. Yong used a program called “Leomatch” to start their talk, and he lied, saying he was 18 years old. Even after Yong found out the boy’s real age, he kept trying to get closer, “persisted in asking him to be ‘friends with benefits’.”
The 14-year-old boy was brave, knowing that what Yong was doing was wrong, so he told his father.
Together, the boy and his father made a clear plan to stop Yong and make sure he was caught. The boy, with his father’s help, asked Yong to come to their house, and at the same time, they made sure the police knew what was happening.
Several types of sex toys were found
On December 18, 2024, the police used the information they received to arrest Yong Ming Quan near the boy’s house. When arrested, officers found several types of sex toys with him.
Yong was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for a forensic psychiatric evaluation, commencing on December 20, 2024. A report issued on December 29 indicated that Yong was diagnosed with paedophilic disorder and had a history of voyeuristic disorder.
Yong faced a total of two charges, including one count of sexual grooming of a minor below 16 years of age and another for gaining access to child abuse materials, which comprised 115 images and 326 videos found on his phone.
Yong pleaded guilty to the sexual grooming charge, and the latter charge was taken into consideration during his sentencing.
During the court proceedings, it was also revealed that Yong had a prior criminal record. In 2021, he was sentenced to 10 days’ imprisonment for an offence involving secretly filming a male victim showering and possessing obscene materials depicting young boys.
