A sales and marketing executive who had sex with a 15-year-old girl in his van was jailed for 15 months on Tuesday. S. Ravi Chander, 49, who faced four charges, pleaded guilty to two counts of intercourse with the student at Nepal Park in North Buona Vista in June last year, and at a multi-storey carpark in Bukit Batok the following month.

A district court heard the minor signed up on an online classifieds advertising network last year indicating she was an 18-year-old female. While looking through the profiles of men, she came across Ravi's profile. She sent the married father of two a text message and began communicating with him. She told him she was 15 and in secondary school.

He asked if she had a boyfriend, was sexually experienced and if she wanted to have sex with him. She accepted his proposition and they arranged to meet. They met for the first time on a weekday in June last year. He picked her up in his van and he drove to Nepal Park where they had sex.

The following month, Ravi met the girl at Toa Payoh Hub. She was wearing her school uniform. He drove to a multi-storey park at Bukit Batok West Avenue 5 where they had sex at the back of the van.

District Judge Low Wee Ping said the offences were similar to rape. He said he was shocked by the wide age gap and Ravi that he was fortunate that the prosecution was not asking for consecutive sentences which he was minded to give.

"One offence of this nature is bad enough. Twice is very aggravating. But you actually committed the offence four times,'' he said.

Ravi could have been jailed for up to 10 years on each charge of having sex with a girl below 16.