KUALA LUMPUR: Singapore's former Environment Council Executive Director Howard Shaw has pleaded guilty to paying for sex with an underage girl, a court official told Bikyamasr.com on Wednesday. Shaw has admitted that he was one of 48 men who had paid for sex with the 17-year-old girl in a case that has jolted the city-state over sex abuse and corruption. “It is shocking and horrible that this sort of thing was commonplace in Singapore,” said Thomas Tan, a Malaysian business owner, in an email responding to Bikyamasr.com questions. “I have heard about this kind of action taking place, but I never imagined that it was this rampant in our society,” he added. Shaw's lawyers had sought and obtained a hearing on Wednesday to address issues with the court regarding Shaw's charge. His lawyer Harpreet Singh argued that Shaw had made an “honest and reasonable mistake.” He said that there was “no pre-meditation nor intention” as the offense was committed “unwittingly.” Singh called for a non-custodial sentence as Shaw's case “falls at or very near, the lowest end of the culpability spectrum.” Shaw was reported to have showed no emotion throughout the 45-minute hearing on Wednesday. The next court session is scheduled for July 30. Women's advocates in the country have repeatedly demanded the government and the courts send a message to Singapore executives that paying for sex and using sex as a means to seal business deals must be ended. They demand the court deliver stringent sentences in order to deter and end the sex trafficking that is growing in the city-state as a result of wealthy men.
