Man jailed for demanding sex

By Khushwant Singh

Eddie Quek Yu Meng, 26, was sentenced to two years jail term for corruption and forgery in total. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

HE TRIED to blackmail a 15-year-old to give him money or have sex with him in return of not taking action against her for underage smoking and littering but all Eddie Quek Yu Meng, 26, got was a 10-month jail term for corruption.
A district court heard on Monday that the former officer with security firm Aetos was attached to the National Environment Authority (NEA) as an enforcement officer in 2008.
While on duty at Woodlands Civic Centre in October, Quek took down the particulars of three teenagers for smoking and littering.
Instead of reporting them to the authorities, he let them go. Four months later, although no longer with Aetos, Quek Yu Meng called the 15-year-old girl and said she should meet him to discuss her offences.
When they met, Tan told her how a different girl had sex with him while a boy gave him money for not taking action against them for offences.
She confided in her boyfriend later and together they went to see the wife of the chairman of the residents' committee of that area, who advised the girl to go to the police. Investigations then revealed that Quek had accepted a $50 bribe to let off a man for littering in September 2008.
In total, Quek will serve two years in jail for corruption and forgery.
Own opinion : What Eddie Quek did was dispicable, but how the 15-year old girl handled the situation was commendable. Instead of panicking and succumbing to his advances for money or sex, she confided in her boyfriend and the wife of the chairman of the resident's committee of that area, and eventually made the right decision of reporting the case to the police. I feel the 10-month sentence he received for trying to blackmail the girl was too light, as he posed as a law-enforcer to try and get what he desired, and this action is a threat as anyone could do the same and extort money and other favors. I think that when faced with such a scenario, one should keep a clear mind and ask for official references, like IDs or identification tags, so as to show that they are really from the authorities that they claim to be.

Ernest Lee, 102369D