SINGAPORE - A former technician who had sex with a 13-year-old girl who was 16 years his junior was sentenced to 18 months' jail on Friday (Nov 17).

Mohamed Syahid Mohamed Yusoff, 32, pleaded guilty on Monday (Nov 13) to two of four charges of sexual penetration, including oral sex, with the girl at a staircase landing of a HDB block in Jurong some time between July and August 2014.

The victim came to know Syahid in July 2014 through Alamak Chat, an online application. They exchanged contact numbers and then communicated via WhatsApp.

He asked her many times to meet him but she kept rejecting him.

Some time between July and August that year, she agreed to meet.

After they met at Lakeside MRT station, he took her to a block nearby and went up to a staircase landing at the highest floor where they engaged in sexual activities.

Months later, on Jan 21, 2015, the victim lodged a police report.

Asked by District Judge Kenneth Yap how the offences came to light, Deputy Public Prosecutor James Chew said the school found out she had sexual relations with other men.

In mitigation, Syahid's lawyer Jonathan Wong from Tito Isaac & Co, said his client was immensely sorry and regretted what he had done, and promised not to re-offend.

He said at the time of the offences, his client had just come out of a broken relationship. He went online to find companionship, but certainly not to seek the sexual services of an underage girl, he added.

There was also no coercion or exploitation, said Mr Wong.

The court heard that Syahid, who plans to marry his girlfriend, is learning to be a forklift driver and will be attending a course next week.

Judge Yap allowed him to defer the sentence until Nov 27.

Syahid could have been jailed for up to 20 years, fined or caned on each charge.