YouTuber who offered boys cash for sex acts pleads guilty

YouTuber Darryl Ian Koshy, better known as Dee Kosh, who offered cash to a boy below 18 for sexual services, was convicted yesterday.

The 33-year-old pleaded guilty to one charge for the offence and another charge under the Children and Young Persons Act for the attempted sexual exploitation of a young person.

He also pleaded guilty to a charge under the Films Act for making an obscene film. He had filmed himself in 2016 or 2017 engaging in sexual acts with a man aged between 23 and 25.

Koshy has been told to attend medical examinations at the Institute of Mental Health before he is sentenced.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Ying Min said that Koshy, while shooting a video in Orchard Road on Feb 14, 2017, approached a 16-year-old boy selling flowers outside Takashimaya department store for a short chat.

Later that month, he posted a picture of the teenager on social media and asked if anyone knew him. One of the boy's friends told him about the post and asked whether he could share his number with Koshy. The teen agreed.

Koshy contacted him on WhatsApp and asked for his age. After the boy claimed he was 17, Koshy suggested the boy work for him and said he would teach the boy about production work, how to take selfies and help him gain confidence.

That captured the teenager's interest, said DPP Lim.

Eventually, Koshy offered the boy $400 to let the YouTuber perform a sexual act on him. When the boy declined, Koshy raised the sum to $800, $1,000 and eventually $2,000. The boy rejected the offers.

On March 6, 2018, Koshy messaged a 15-year-old boy using his verified Instagram account and asked the boy if he was in school and if he was 15. The boy confirmed his age.

Moving the conversation to messaging service Telegram, Koshy offered the boy $100 to $250 in exchange for a sexual act.

DPP Lim said: "(The victim) rejected the offer as he felt that it was wrong. (He) was shocked and initially felt that the accused was joking. However, the accused's persistence made him realise that the accused was not joking about the sexual offers."

Over four months, Koshy made four sexual offers to the victim.

Although the boy did not cease communication with Koshy immediately out of fear of offending him, he gradually stopped talking to Koshy. He did not agree to Koshy's requests for sexual services.

On Aug 15, 2020, a 21-year-old man - not one of Koshy's prior three targets - posted on his Instagram page that he had been sexually harassed by Koshy. Shortly after, more victims came forward and shared their encounters with the accused on social media.

Koshy was arrested by police officers on Oct 5, 2020, at his home.

DPP Lim said none of the victims made police reports immediately after the incidents, and they realised they were not the only ones targeted by Koshy only after seeing the 21-year-old's Instagram post.

The DPP added: "They each thought they were the only ones whom the accused offered paid sexual services to and were afraid of the consequences of going against the accused whom they all viewed to be a celebrity with a large following."

Power 98 FM, where Koshy used to host weekday night shows, had said in 2020 that he had been put on leave. A So Drama! Entertainment spokesman said yesterday that he is no longer working with the station, which is one of the media company's brands.