Howard Shaw sentenced to 12 weeks' jail for paid sex with minor

Former Singapore Environment Council executive director, Howard Shaw has been sentenced to three months' jail for having sex with an underaged girl. 

He is appealing the sentence and is out on 10-thousand-dollars bail. 

Forty-one-year-old Shaw, the grandson of the founder of Shaw Organisation, pleaded guilty last month. 

He is the second of the 51 men to be dealt with in the online vice ring crackdown. 

In passing sentence, Senior District judge Mr See Kee Oon rejected Shaw's claim that he had made a reasonable and honest mistake. 

He added that since Shaw actively sought out the girl, he should have exercised caution to make enquiries and not be subjected to misguided beliefs. 

Dressed in a suit, Shaw arrived in court today with his 26-year-old wife and his sister. 

While Shaw remained emotionless in the dock, his wife was visibly worried. 

Shaw, who's currently a senior vice president for the Halycon Group, came across the girl's details online. 

He then contacted her pimp about her services in 2010. 

He later paid the girl 500 dollars for sex at Hotel 81 at Bencoolen. 

Arguing against a custodial sentence, Shaw's lawyer, Mr Harpreet Singh, said it was completely disproportionate, as the girl was not a victim of trafficking, nor was she coerced into sex. 

Shaw could have been jailed up to seven years and fined.