Swiss ex-banker was reckless and showed no sign of remorse; going to jail

ALL content used in this not-for-profit blog remain the property of their respective owners.
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/swiss-ex-banker-jailed-4-months-and-3-weeks-sex-minor

The Swiss national convicted of having commercial sex with a minor could have been sentenced to 12 weeks in jail as “a starting point” if he had pleaded guilty, said a district judge yesterday.

He was the first of the 51 men in the online vice-ring cases to claim trial — a fact which the district judge said had made a “significant difference” in his case. So far, 18 men had been dealt with and, on average, each man was jailed for about 12 weeks.

However, when Juerg Buergin (picture) claimed trial, the 41-year-old should have considered “not being afforded the discount ... given in previous cases as a sign of remorse”, said District Judge Eddy Tham.

Buergin was jailed for four months and three weeks yesterday, after he was found guilty on two charges of having paid sex with an underage girl following a three-day trial last month.

The district judge felt Buergin’s lack of remorse was also apparent in his claim that he was cheated. Mr Tham chided Buergin for appearing to put the full blame for his predicament on the girl’s misrepresentation of her age and took no responsibility for engaging in reckless commercial sex with her.