Five more men - all Chinese nationals - were charged in court on Friday with having commercial sex with a minor. Fourteen other men were charged earlier on Wednesday with having paid sex with the same 17-year-old girl in budget hotels and a lodging house in Geylang.

One of the Chinese nationals, Sun Xinjian, 36, also faces four Traffic Police charges over a fatal road traffic accident and causing injuries in Clementi last November on top of his commercial sex case. Li Weichao, 42, faces two charges of commercial sex while the others, construction workers Li Zhiguang, 47, drivers Wu Delong, 35, and Yang Dong, 36, face a single charge. Each of the men paid $60 for the minor's sexual services at hotels in Lorong 22 and Geylang in May.

Zhiguang, represented by Mr A. Rajandran, will be back in court on Oct 2. Both Wu and Yang are expected to plead guilty next Friday while Sun has claimed trial to causing the death of part-time telemarketer Sivaprakash S. Pathmanathan, 27, by dangerous driving along Clementi Avenue 6 at the signalised cross-junction by Clementi Loop on Nov 6. He is also accused of causing grievous hurt to Ms Cheryl Stephanie Elias Edward, 24, and causing hurt to Ms Peh Bee Ling, 45, both pedestrians, by doing an act so rashly as to endanger life. The last charge accuses him of driving the refrigerated truck with bald tyres. His case was adjourned to Oct 28.

Recently, four men from China were given between 11 and 12 weeks each for commercial sex with same girl while a fifth was charged last month, and his case is pending.

The maximum penalty for commercial sex with a person under 18 years old is seven years and/or a fine.