SINGAPORE - About a month after an 18-year-old student came to know a technician online, they started a relationship and exchanged nude photographs with each other.

Once, Ramesh Segaran, 31, went to the teen's home and had consensual sex with her when her parents were not around.

They first became acquainted through social media platform, WeChat, sometime in February 2016.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Chee Ee Ling told the court that, after the sexual encounter, the girl felt guilty and avoided the Malaysian for about three months but he continued to harass her to meet up.

On Sept 7 that year, he sent her a text message demanding more explicit photographs of her in the nude or else he would head over to her home and tell her parents about their sexual relationship.

Out of fear, she sent him three photographs which included a topless one of herself.

After she had sent him the photographs, Ramesh told her "good see you at 7 in your house". Shocked and frightened, she pleaded with him not to tell her parents. He demanded a threesome which she rejected.

He then threatened to send her nude photographs to her parents via Facebook messenger if she did not comply with his request.

The girl confided in three friends and one of them later called Ramesh to ask him to stop harassing her. A heated argument ensued. Ramesh refused and demanded to meet the victim alone. He also sent the friend her nude photo and told him to "have good fun with your friend".

DPP Chee said on Sept 18 that year, the victim received 15 to 20 friend requests in her WeChat personal account from unknown males. One of them told her that a "Ramesh" had shared her nude photographs and other information in a public WeChat group.

She made a police report the next day.

A day after his arrest on Sept 29, Ramesh called her and pleaded with her to withdraw the case. He apologised and said he was married with a child. She ended the call.

About 10 minutes later, she received a phone call from her father informing her that a man was outside the house telling him to ask her to drop the case. She feigned ignorance as she did not want her parents to worry about her, said DPP Chee.

"The accused had admitted to circulating the victim's nude photographs and contact details in the public WeChat group as he was annoyed with the victim," said the DPP.

He also admitted to contacting an unknown man via WeChat stating that they could have a "threesome" with the victim and assuring him that she would agree because of his "blackmail".

Urging the court to show mercy on his client, Mr Ashwin Ganapathy said Ramesh, who is now unemployed, was genuinely sorry for his actions. He understands that his actions have brought great humiliation to the victim, said the lawyer.

The incident, which would hang over his head like the Sword of Damocles for a long time, had taken a toll on his client's family, the lawyer added. Ramesh no longer lives with the family and his wife has threatened to divorce him.

District Judge Tan Jen Tse jailed Ramesh for 28 weeks on Wednesday (Jan 3) for criminal intimidation and transmitting the victim's nude photos to at least 20 men through WeChat. Two other charges were considered in sentencing.

Ramesh could have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined for criminal intimidation; and for transmitting obscene objects, jailed for up to three months and/or fined.