SINGAPORE: Former radio disc jockey Dee Kosh, 33, was sentenced to 32 weeks' jail on Friday (Aug 5) for sexual offences involving teenage boys.
The YouTuber, named Darryl Ian Koshy in court documents, solicited sex from a total of four teenage boys between February 2017 and August 2020.
In May, he pleaded guilty to attempting to procure an indecent act from a young person and communicating with a minor to obtain sexual services, in relation to two of the teenage victims.
Two other charges related to the other two victims were considered for sentencing.
Kosh also admitted to secretly filming himself having sex with another victim, then aged between 23 and 25. Two more charges of making and possessing obscene films were taken into consideration for sentencing.
All the victims' identities are protected by gag order.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Ying Min earlier called Kosh a "seasoned criminal skilled at avoiding detection" and said his offences were highly premeditated. She sought five to eight months' jail.
Defence counsel Johannes Hadi asked for a shorter jail term of two-and-a-half months, arguing that his client was remorseful and highlighting his good prospects for rehabilitation as assessed by a psychiatrist.
Kosh rose to fame on YouTube and was a presenter on radio station Power 98, a position he held during the offences.
Power 98 previously said that Kosh has been suspended since being charged in August last year. Before that, he was placed on no-pay leave pending investigations.
Two of Kosh's underaged victims were identified in court documents as A1 and A2. In March 2018, Kosh used his verified Instagram account to message A1, who informed Kosh that he was under 16.
On a Telegram "secret chat", Kosh offered A1 S$100 to S$250 in exchange for sexual services.
A1 was shocked and initially thought Kosh was joking. He gradually stopped talking to Kosh after he made another offer of money for sex.
Their conversations took place over four months. A1 did not cease communications immediately as he was afraid of offending Kosh.
A2 was spotted by Kosh outside Takashimaya on Orchard Road during a video shoot in February 2017. They were later put in touch through social media. Over WhatsApp, A2 told Kosh he was under 18.
Kosh suggested that A2 work for him. He then initiated a "question game" and started to ask the boy questions of a sexual nature, which led to him making an "indecent proposal".
Moving to Snapchat, Kosh asked A2 what it would take for him to allow someone to perform a sexual act on him, adding that he would be blindfolded and would not know the gender of the person.
Eventually, Kosh revealed that he was referring to himself, and offered the victim S$400 to let him do so. He gradually raised this amount to S$2,000 after A2 repeatedly declined the offer.
Their conversation was recorded on video by A2's roommate using another phone.
Another victim, A3, was a man Kosh started following on social media in 2016. A3 accepted Kosh's invitation to his home as he thought it might lead to a recruitment opportunity at Kosh's production firm.
They went on to have paid and unpaid sex from 2016 to 2020. On one occasion between 2016 and 2017, Kosh used a hidden camera to film them having sex without A3's knowledge or consent.
None of the victims reported the offences to the police immediately, as each thought he was the only victim and was afraid of going against "a celebrity with a large following", the prosecutor previously told the court.
When allegations of misconduct by Kosh started surfacing online in August 2020, the victims realised that they were not the only ones he had targeted, and A1 made a police report. Kosh was arrested on Oct 5, 2020.
Kosh could have been jailed for up to five years, fined up to S$10,000 or both for attempted sexual exploitation of a young person under the Children and Young Persons Act.
For communicating with the purpose of obtaining sexual services of a minor, he could have been jailed for up to two years and fined.
The penalty for making an obscene film is a jail term of up to two years and a fine of between S$20,000 and S$40,000.
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The YouTuber, named Darryl Ian Koshy in court documents, solicited sex from a total of four teenage boys between February 2017 and August 2020.
In May, he pleaded guilty to attempting to procure an indecent act from a young person and communicating with a minor to obtain sexual services, in relation to two of the teenage victims.
Two other charges related to the other two victims were considered for sentencing.
Kosh also admitted to secretly filming himself having sex with another victim, then aged between 23 and 25. Two more charges of making and possessing obscene films were taken into consideration for sentencing.
All the victims' identities are protected by gag order.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Ying Min earlier called Kosh a "seasoned criminal skilled at avoiding detection" and said his offences were highly premeditated. She sought five to eight months' jail.
Defence counsel Johannes Hadi asked for a shorter jail term of two-and-a-half months, arguing that his client was remorseful and highlighting his good prospects for rehabilitation as assessed by a psychiatrist.
Kosh rose to fame on YouTube and was a presenter on radio station Power 98, a position he held during the offences.
Power 98 previously said that Kosh has been suspended since being charged in August last year. Before that, he was placed on no-pay leave pending investigations.
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WHAT HAPPENED
Two of Kosh's underaged victims were identified in court documents as A1 and A2. In March 2018, Kosh used his verified Instagram account to message A1, who informed Kosh that he was under 16.
On a Telegram "secret chat", Kosh offered A1 S$100 to S$250 in exchange for sexual services.
A1 was shocked and initially thought Kosh was joking. He gradually stopped talking to Kosh after he made another offer of money for sex.
Their conversations took place over four months. A1 did not cease communications immediately as he was afraid of offending Kosh.
A2 was spotted by Kosh outside Takashimaya on Orchard Road during a video shoot in February 2017. They were later put in touch through social media. Over WhatsApp, A2 told Kosh he was under 18.
Kosh suggested that A2 work for him. He then initiated a "question game" and started to ask the boy questions of a sexual nature, which led to him making an "indecent proposal".
Moving to Snapchat, Kosh asked A2 what it would take for him to allow someone to perform a sexual act on him, adding that he would be blindfolded and would not know the gender of the person.
Eventually, Kosh revealed that he was referring to himself, and offered the victim S$400 to let him do so. He gradually raised this amount to S$2,000 after A2 repeatedly declined the offer.
Their conversation was recorded on video by A2's roommate using another phone.
Another victim, A3, was a man Kosh started following on social media in 2016. A3 accepted Kosh's invitation to his home as he thought it might lead to a recruitment opportunity at Kosh's production firm.
They went on to have paid and unpaid sex from 2016 to 2020. On one occasion between 2016 and 2017, Kosh used a hidden camera to film them having sex without A3's knowledge or consent.
None of the victims reported the offences to the police immediately, as each thought he was the only victim and was afraid of going against "a celebrity with a large following", the prosecutor previously told the court.
When allegations of misconduct by Kosh started surfacing online in August 2020, the victims realised that they were not the only ones he had targeted, and A1 made a police report. Kosh was arrested on Oct 5, 2020.
Kosh could have been jailed for up to five years, fined up to S$10,000 or both for attempted sexual exploitation of a young person under the Children and Young Persons Act.
For communicating with the purpose of obtaining sexual services of a minor, he could have been jailed for up to two years and fined.
The penalty for making an obscene film is a jail term of up to two years and a fine of between S$20,000 and S$40,000.
Continue reading...