Business Existing Law

Business Existing Law
Question
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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-year-old 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.
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