PUBLIC PROSECUTOR v Khor Khai Gin, Davis

[2023] SGHC 304 High Court (General Division) 26 October 2023 HC/CC 69/2022 41 min read
22 cases cited (10 SG, 12 foreign)

Outcome

Sentence imposed

I therefore sentenced the accused to:(a) nine years and nine months’ imprisonment and seven strokes of the cane for the Second Charge;(b) two years’ imprisonment for the Third Charge;(c) nine years’ imprisonment and six strokes of the cane for the Sixth Charge; and(d) nine months’ imprisonment for the Tenth Charge.

Source: [2023] SGHC 304, High Court (General Division), decided 26 October 2023. Read directly from the judgment.

Key facts

Court High Court (General Division)
Decided
Judge Pang Khang Chau
Charges / claim Criminal Procedure and Sentencing
Outcome Sentence imposed
Counsel Adelphi Law Chambers LLC, Attorney-General's Chambers, Edwin Soh Chin Yuen, Kang Kok Boon, Favian, Theong Li Han

Source: [2023] SGHC 304, High Court (General Division), decided — eLitigation. Updated .

Catchwords

Practice Areas

Judges (1)

Counsel (5)

Parties (2)

Case Significance

Public Prosecutor v Khor Khai Gin Davis [2023] SGHC 304 is a grounds of decision of Pang Khang Chau J in the General Division of the High Court, delivered on 26 October 2023 in Criminal Case No 69 of 2022. From sometime in 2020 until his arrest on 1 March 2021, the accused messaged multiple girls on Instagram offering part-time work or cash and invited them to his residence for sexual acts in exchange for cash; at least four girls aged between 13 and 17 responded, and he performed sexual acts on three of them, giving rise to ten charges. The accused pleaded guilty to four charges, with the remaining charges taken into consideration for sentencing, and one charge was for attempted statutory rape under provisions introduced by the Criminal Law Reform Act 2019, which the judgment addresses for the purposes of sentencing.

[2023] SGHC 304 explained

PUBLIC PROSECUTOR v Khor Khai Gin, Davis ([2023] SGHC 304) is a Singapore judgment decided by the High Court (General Division) on 26 October 2023. It is categorised under Criminal Procedure and Sentencing. It is a recent decision; within this corpus no later judgment has cited it yet. This page summarises what the reported decision covers and links the primary sources — the full judgment, the statutes it cites, and the other cases it engages with — so the decision can be read in context. It is reference information, not legal advice, and it does not state the outcome or any holding beyond what the official judgment records.

What is [2023] SGHC 304 about?

PUBLIC PROSECUTOR v Khor Khai Gin, Davis ([2023] SGHC 304) is a High Court (General Division) decision from 2023. Its published catchwords are “Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Sentencing — Sexual offences” and “Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Sentencing — Attempted rape”, which indicate the subject matter the judgment addresses. The full reasoning and orders are in the judgment itself, linked below.

Which legislation does [2023] SGHC 304 consider?

The judgment refers to Criminal Law Reform Act, Misuse of Drugs Act (Cap 185), Penal Code (Cap 224), and Sentencing Act, among other provisions. The statutes cited are listed in full on this page, each linking to its primary text.

Summary

The Public Prosecutor charged Khor Khai Gin Davis, who contacted girls aged between 13 and 17 on Instagram and invited them to his residence for sexual acts in exchange for cash. He pleaded guilty to four charges, including sexual penetration of minors and attempted statutory rape, and the case raised a novel sentencing question following amendments under the Criminal Law Reform Act 2019 removing the halved maximum term for attempts. The court imposed a global sentence of 12 years and six months' imprisonment and 13 strokes of the cane.

What was Public Prosecutor v Khor Khai Gin Davis [2023] SGHC 304 about?

It was a sentencing decision before Pang Khang Chau J concerning an accused who messaged girls on Instagram and performed sexual acts on three of them, aged 13 to 17, in exchange for cash, decided on 26 October 2023.

What charges did the accused face in [2023] SGHC 304?

The accused faced ten charges, pleaded guilty to four with the rest taken into consideration, including one charge of attempted statutory rape under provisions introduced by the Criminal Law Reform Act 2019, which the court addressed for sentencing.

Statutes Cited

Criminal Law Reform Act Cases on this Act →
s 167
Sentencing Act
s 63
Sexual Offences Act
s 10(2)
UK Sentencing Act
s 63

Cases Cited (22)

SG (3)
[2016] SGHC 107 [2022] SGDC 17 [2022] SGHC 244
SLR (7)
[2010] 1 SLR 417 [2012] 3 SLR 527 [2015] 4 SLR 150 [2017] 1 SLR 292 [2017] 2 SLR 1015 [2017] 2 SLR 449 [2020] 4 SLR 790
UK (5)
[1986] 1 WLR 349 [2014] EWCA Crim 1152 [2016] 4 WLR 121 [2020] EWCA Crim 557 [2021] 1 WLR 5429
AU (7)
[1999] VSCA 18 [2002] VSCA 217 [2011] VSCA 34 [2012] WASCA 23 [2012] WASCA 95 [2013] WASCA 78 [2016] WASCA 234

Related cases

Other Singapore judgments involving the same parties or counsel.

Referenced in

Judgment

Read the full judgment on the official Singapore Courts portal.

Read on eLitigation

Source: eLitigation ([2023] SGHC 304)