Former River Valley High teacher jailed three months for sex with underage prostitute

Former River Valley High School teacher Chua Ren Cheng, 33, was jailed for three months on Jan 22, 2014, after he admitted having paid for sex with an underage prostitute. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW  
Former River Valley High School teacher Chua Ren Cheng, 33, was jailed for three months on Jan 22, 2014, after he admitted having paid for sex with an underage prostitute. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW  

A former River Valley High School teacher was jailed for three months on Wednesday after he admitted having paid for sex with an underage prostitute.

Chua Ren Cheng confessed he was a "sinner" as he became the 32nd man to be imprisoned for having commercial sex with the 17-year-old.

The 33-year-old had paid $650 for a 90-minute session with her at the Strand Hotel in Bencoolen Street in December 2010.

He owned up to his crime on Monday and could have been jailed up to seven years and fined.

Chua told the district court he would try to become "a better person", adding: "I'm a normal person. I have human failings. I made a mistake. I'm a sinner."

He had spotted the escort's picture on a website, which claimed she was 18 years old.

The site was run by 40-year-old pimp Tang Boon Thiew who was investigated for operating an online vice ring. Tang was jailed for four years and ten months and fined $90,000 in January last year for 20 vice-related charges.

Altogether, 51 men have been charged with having commercial sex with the underage escort and 19 cases are still pending.

Chua's lawyer Mr Amarjit Singh Sidhu had earlier said that his client had been awarded a Public Service Commission scholarship in teaching in 1998 and had been an outstanding teacher since June 2006.

He passed an interview too become the school's vice principal but the promotion never came about and in February 2012 he resigned from his job before being charged with having commercial sex with a minor.

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