Former Singapore Army captain Chaw Chia Jun was sentenced to 17 months in prison on Oct. 20 after pleading guilty to sexual offences against a 15-year-old student. Chaw, 41, engaged in sexual acts with the minor and produced child abuse material, according to court proceedings.
The case involved a series of encounters in 2024, beginning when the victim, a Secondary 4 student, used an online forum for mature gay men to find friends. Through this forum, the teenager contacted Owen Toh Wei Song, a 26-year-old cook with the Republic of Singapore Navy. Toh later introduced the student to Chaw, his former partner, claiming Chaw was experienced in specific sexual niches the teenager wished to explore. Chaw and Toh had been romantically involved from 2021 to 2022, though they stayed in touch after their breakup.
Chaw Films Sex Acts in Punggol Car Park
Sometime before June 5, 2024, Chaw picked up Toh and the victim at Yio Chu Kang MRT station. During the drive, Chaw caressed the victim’s thighs before driving to a multi-storey car park in Punggol. On the empty uppermost deck, Chaw ordered the teenager to strip fully naked. Toh then performed a sex act on the victim while Chaw filmed the encounter on his phone.
While the victim declined to perform a sex act on Chaw, he agreed to perform one on Toh. The trio engaged in further sexual acts before leaving. A few days later, Chaw sent a copy of the recording to Toh at his request.
Chaw continued to meet the teenager independently. On June 5, 2024, the pair entered a disabled toilet at a shopping mall to engage in sexual acts. Chaw recorded two videos of this encounter, one of which captured the victim’s face. He retained these recordings on his phone, which he described as part of a personal collection
of his sexual activities with others.
Family Reports Encounters After Noticing Behavioral Changes
The relationship came to light after the victim’s mother and sisters noticed changes in his behaviour and saw gifts he had received from an adult man. Following a confrontation, the teenager admitted to the encounters. A police report was lodged on Oct. 23, 2024.
Chaw was arrested on Oct. 23, 2024, the day the report was filed, while the sources do not specify the date Toh was arrested. Toh was previously sentenced to 12 months in prison on Sept. 22 for causing a minor to perform sexual penetration. For the purpose of Toh’s sentencing, two additional charges—one for filming the act and another under the same provision—were taken into consideration.
Prosecutor Seeks Prison Time for Gratuitous Degradation
Deputy Public Prosecutor Maximilian Chew sought a sentence of 17 to 21.5 months, arguing the car park incident involved gratuitous degradation
because the victim was naked in the open. Defence lawyer Mark Yeo of Fortress Law countered that the location was chosen in discussion with the victim and that Toh was the more active party who asked the boy to strip.
Yeo argued that Chaw genuinely but mistakenly
believed the teenager was of legal age, noting that the victim had used a fake photo in a Telegram chat. He also noted that Chaw met the victim for meals, walks, or shopping to enjoy each other’s company
. However, District Judge Kenneth Chin ruled that Chaw failed to take active steps to verify the boy’s age.
Absence of coercion is a neutral factor and is not a mitigating factor.
Judge Kenneth Chin
Judge Chin acknowledged that Toh bore slightly higher culpability for the shared car park charge. Chaw was ultimately sentenced to 17 months’ jail, the lower end of the prosecution’s requested range.
MINDEF Releases Chaw from Regular Service
At the time of the offences in 2024, Chaw held the rank of captain in the Singapore Army and had served as a regular in the SAF for approximately 20 years. Since leaving the SAF, he works in a food and beverage role at a friend’s company. A MINDEF spokesperson stated that Chaw was suspended from all duties following his arrest and has since been released from regular service.