Jail, caning for ex-NTU student who took photos of girls in lingerie, molested one of them

SINGAPORE - While he was studying part-time at Nanyang Technological University, a man used his dormitory room to host photo shoots of girls, including one who was just 13, posing in lingerie.

On March 25, Tnee Chin Kiat, 32, was sentenced to 27 months’ jail and five strokes of the cane.

He pleaded guilty to three offences – outrage of modesty, procuring an indecent act by a child and possessing child sexual abuse material. Three other charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

The court heard that Tnee, who was 25 or 26 years old at the time of the offences, was working as a flight engineer while studying at NTU.

In 2016 or 2017, he took up photography as a hobby and began asking friends and strangers to pose as models in photo shoots.

The photo shoots were hosted at his dormitory room at Graduate Hall 1, and were mostly of girls in revealing clothes.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Jing Min said Tnee approached women whom he found attractive, and hoped he would engage in sexual acts with each model.

In 2018, Tnee placed online advertisements on Gumtree seeking girls to pose for photos in exchange for money.

An 18-year-old victim responded to his advertisement and met Tnee three times within two months at his dorm room.

Each photo shoot lasted about two hours. She posed in lingerie provided by Tnee and was paid about $200 for each session.

DPP Tan said after the first two sessions, Tnee developed feelings for the girl.

On the third session, Tnee told her to lie on his bed before securing her wrists to the bed frame using restraints.

After taking photographs of the victim, he molested her. He also tried to kiss her, but she turned away. Undeterred, Tnee molested her again.

DPP Tan said: “The victim was shocked and afraid as she was restrained. She told (Tnee) that she wanted to stop the session and told (him) that his behaviour was not right.”

Tnee apologised, undid her restraints and handed her $200 before sending her off.

On another occasion in 2018, Tnee approached a 13-year-old girl at a overhead bridge, asked for her number and invited her to be his model. The girl gave him only her Instagram username.

After Tnee repeatedly messaged the girl on Instagram, she felt she had no choice but to agree to a photo shoot so he would leave her alone, said DPP Tan.

When she went to Tnee’s dorm room, she followed his instructions to change into lingerie. He then took photos of her.

DPP Tan said: “The victim told (Tnee) that she was uncomfortable, but (he) ignored the victim and continued to take photos of her. The victim felt very upset.”

He paid her $80 at the end of the session. The girl did not make a police report as she was scared.

Tnee was arrested after he approached an 11-year-old girl for a photo shoot on Sept 13, 2020. Court documents did not mention if she posed for Tnee.

During police interviews, he disclosed his other photo shoots, which led to the discovery of his offences.

The police found 1,144 obscene video files on his mobile phone, laptop and hard-disk drives, of which 69 videos and 81 photos were child sexual abuse material.

Tnee’s lawyer, Mr Gino Hardial Singh from Abbots Chambers, said while his client was aware there were child sexual abuse materials in the pornographic files he had downloaded in bulk, he never consumed them.

Nevertheless, District Judge Eugene Teo said it did not change the fact that “they are highly objectionable materials for which caning ought to be imposed”.

In mitigation, Tnee wrote a letter in which he apologised to those involved in the matter.

Counselling and Buddhist meditation, among other things, have since helped him to change his life, he wrote.

Judge Teo told Tnee during sentencing: “I hope that as you are standing there (in the dock)… you were uncomfortable, because that indicates that you have some capacity for reform.”

Calling the offences serious, the judge added: “This outcome is meant to signal something, Mr Tnee, that you should make sure you don’t falter in your efforts to reform yourself.”

NTU told The Straits Times in 2023 that Tnee had graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2016 and a master’s in 2020. It did not state the field of his studies.

Its spokesman said there were no allegations of criminal misconduct or charges brought against him while he was a student at the university.