existing law on sex with minors

 

COR160
Essential Academic Writing Skills
Tutor-Marked Assignment 01
July 2017 PresentationCOR160 Tutor-Marked Assignment
TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT 01
This tutor-marked assignment is worth 45% of the final mark for COR160 Essential Academic
Writing Skills.
The cut-off date for this assignment is 2355hrs on 25 August 2017.
___________________________________________________________________________
Submit your solution document in the form of a single MS Word file on or before the cut-off
date shown above.
Additional instructions:
1. You will need to indicate clearly on the front page your name, student ID, course title
and assignment number. Note also the following:
 Spacing (between the lines): 1.5 or double spacing
 Font style: Arial or Times New Roman preferred
 Font size: 12 preferred (min 11 and max 13)
2. Summarise using your own words as much as possible. You must document all
information that you use from another source, or you will be penalized severely. You
must acknowledge these by using the APA documentation style. This includes both
in-text citations and end-of-text referencing.
3. If you copy from the work of another student, regardless of the course or programme,
you will be severely penalized. You are not permitted to re-use material from past
assignments whether in part or in full. All of the above actions can result in your
failing the TMA.
*Remember that accurate and proper documentation of information from secondary sources
is essential because SUSS takes a very serious view on plagiarism. All information from
secondary sources will be detected by the Turnitin software that your assignment will be put
through in Canvas and anything that is not acknowledged and properly documented will be
taken as an instance of plagiarism and your assignment may be failed.
Scope
You will find Chapters 3 (Critical Reading), 7 (Summary, Paraphrase, Quotation), 8a
(Synthesizing), 8b (Synthesizing Sources) and 9 (Locating, Mining and Citing Sources) in
your COR160 textbook useful. Refer also to the relevant on-line study units.COR160 Tutor-Marked Assignment

Question 1
Joshua Robinson underage sex case: Govt to consider higher penalties for such
offenders
The authorities will be considering how offenders such as mixed martial arts instructor
Joshua Robinson, who had sex with two underage girls, may be “dealt with more severely
through higher penalties,” said Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam yesterday.
His remarks follow the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ statement that the public prosecutor
will not appeal against Robinson’s four-year jail term. The 39-year-old American pleaded
guilty to having unprotected sex with two 15-year-old girls and showing an obscene video to
a six-year-old.
His sentencing last Thursday sparked strong public reactions, with the father of the six-yearold expressing disappointment online. A petition calling for harsher punishment was also
started on Sunday.
“I can understand people’s unhappiness,” said Mr Shanmugam, who is on a working trip in
Australia. In a statement in response to media queries, he added that Robinson’s offences
were “more serious” than a range of other cases involving sex with underage girls. He cited
the cases of an 18-year-old youth who had sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend, and that
involving 51 men who were charged with having sex with an underage prostitute. They were
jailed for between four and 20 weeks each, he said.
“I have asked my officials to consider what approaches are necessary for offenders like
Robinson to be dealt with more severely through higher penalties,” said Mr Shanmugam.
Currently, as the sex was consensual, the law does not provide for caning. He added that the
original decision was “cleared at the highest levels – by the previous A-G himself, based on
precedents from previous cases.”
“In our system, decisions on prosecution, sentence to ask for, and appeals, are all within the
discretion of the AGC. We need to respect the decision of AGC,” he said.
“I do think that the sentences for such offences committed by Robinson need to be relooked
at. That is why I have asked my ministries to study this,” he added.
But he said it is premature to reveal what penalties are being considered.
Learning outcomes
 Cite sources in writing using the proper citation and referencing style.
 Evaluate information critically from various sources to respond to a task.
 Synthesise information from various sources in writing in response to a given task.
 Develop a rhetorical structure of an essay.COR160 Tutor-Marked Assignment
SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUSS) Page 4 of 7
 Adapted from article by Seow Bei Yi in The Straits Times Online PUBLISHED
MAR 9, 2017, 5:00 AM SGT
There has been much discussion in the media with regard to the punishment meted out to
Joshua Robinson in the underage sex case. Many issues in relation to penalties in such cases
have been debated in the discussions. It has led to the Home Affairs and Law Minister to
direct his ministries to review the existing law. The two articles provided below reflect some
of the discussions regarding this issue in Singapore.
In about 750 words, write a synthesis essay on the factors that must be taken into
consideration in reviewing the existing law on sex with minors. You must formulate a thesis
about this issue and provide evidence that will support your thesis. The thesis for this
TMA01 is a viewpoint that does not have to be persuasive – that is, it is the conclusion you
arrive at based on summarising and synthesising the information you researched on this topic.
Relevant information for you to gather would be:
 Issues (legal or social or educational or etc.) surrounding cases on sex with minors
 Evidence for existing law
 Evidence against existing law
 Improvements to existing law
(100 marks)
Guidance Notes
1. Use process writing to develop a rhetorical structure for your essay.
2. Strengthen your thesis with relevant examples and illustrations.
3. You may include any additional but relevant information to the ideas that have already
been given in the scenario and articles.
4. You should use at least 5 research sources to help you write your essay. The given
articles are considered as a separate research source each and can count towards the 5
research sources. Synthesise information from these various sources in your writing.
5. You are to use credible and reliable sources to help you write this essay. Evaluate
information critically from various sources in your response. Marks will be deducted for
non-credible and unreliable content.
6. Remember to use accurate grammar, correct sentence structures and a tone appropriate to
academic writing. Cite sources in your writing using the proper citation and referencing
style. Marks will be deducted for poor English.COR160 Tutor-Marked Assignment
SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUSS) Page 5 of 7
Article 1:
Underage sex case: AGC not appealing against sentence
PUBLISHED in The Straits Times Online MAR 9, 2017, 5:00 AM SGT
Securing a guilty plea had spared three young victims the trauma of testifying and
cross-examination
Seow Bei Yi
The public prosecutor will not appeal against mixed martial arts instructor Joshua Robinson’s
four-year jail sentence, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said yesterday.
But the AGC will discuss with the Ministry of Law whether relevant legislation should be
reviewed to enhance sentencing for similar offenders in the future.
In a statement explaining its position yesterday, the AGC said that among its considerations
was that securing a guilty plea from Robinson spared his three young victims “the trauma of
testifying and being cross-examined at trial.”
The American’s sentence last Thursday sparked a strong public reaction. An online petition,
started on Sunday, called the punishment “unacceptable and absolutely intolerable.” It has
attracted more than 27,000 signatures.
Robinson, 39, was jailed for making obscene films, having consensual sex with two 15-yearold girls and showing an obscene clip to a six-year-old girl, among other offences.
The AGC said there were calls from the public for an appeal against the sentence imposed,
and for caning to be imposed. There were also public comments saying he had committed
“sexual assaults” and should have been charged with rape, statutory rape or outrage of
modesty.
But the AGC clarified that as the two victims were above 14 years of age when they had sex
with Robinson, he had not committed statutory rape. Under the law, having sex with a minor
below the age of 14 is recognised as statutory rape.
And because the girls consented to the sexual acts, he could not be charged with rape and
outrage of modesty. By the same token, these were not cases of sexual assault.
Responding to suggestions that he should have been sentenced to caning, the AGC added thatCOR160 Tutor-Marked Assignment
SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUSS) Page 6 of 7
“caning is not provided for any of the offences Robinson was charged with.” The AGC said
its decision was “broadly in line with relevant sentencing precedents.”
The prosecution had sought a total sentence of four to five years’ imprisonment, and its
position was made known to the defence counsel and District Court at a pre-trial conference
last September. It was also conveyed to Robinson before he decided last December to plead
guilty.
In discharging its duties, the AGC said it does not differentiate between Singaporeans and
non-Singaporeans.
Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam yesterday said “the original decision on
what sentences to ask for was cleared at the highest levels – by the previous A-G himself,
based on precedents from previous cases.”
But he added that if there is the sense that the sentences, based on precedents, are inadequate,
“we consider what can be done”.
“I do think that the sentences for such offences committed by Robinson need to be relooked
at,” he said. “That is why I have asked my ministries to study this.”
Said Association of Criminal Lawyers of Singapore president Sunil Sudheesan: “It would be
unfair to level undue pressure on the prosecution or district judge, given that they are basing
sentencing positions on established case law.”
Compared with similar cases, he noted, four years is a long sentence.
For instance, in 2015, the jail term of a 23-year-old man was increased from four to 10
months for having sex with a 14-year-old girl whom he met via an instant messaging
application.
When contacted, the six-year-old girl’s father told The Straits Times that he accepts
Robinson’s punishment and hopes the case raises awareness of the man’s conduct.
He also hopes the authorities will look into the existing system and consider having harsher
punishment for similar cases.
“That’s all I want, I want the Government to look into it,” he said. “As for my family and I,
we want closure. We are not angry. I’m content, and I want to move on.”COR160 Tutor-Marked Assignment
SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUSS) Page 7 of 7
Article 2:
Why is child sex offender’s sentence so lenient?
PUBLISHED The Straits Times Online Forum MAR 5, 2017, 6:32 PM SGT
UPDATED MAR 5, 2017, 6:36 PM
American mixed martial arts instructor Joshua Robinson was reported to have had
unprotected sex with two 15-year-old girls, filmed the acts, shown an obscene clip to a third
girl who was only six, and had in his possession 321 pornographic videos of children
(Trainer jailed for sex with minors, making obscene videos; March 3).
Details of his other offences were not reported.
Given the reported facts, his sentence of four years’ jail, with no caning, seems extremely
lenient.
Robinson was no opportunistic offender. He had prowled the Internet for underage girls.
While I accept that no case is identical, the sentences meted out to other similar offenders
seem far harsher in comparison to what Robinson was given.
For instance, Benjamin Sim Wei Liang was sentenced to 20½ years’ jail and 24 strokes of the
cane for offences of similar gravity (Man gets jail, cane for sexually abusing four underage
girls; July 31, 2015).
Are there reasons not reported for Robinson’s sentence?

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