Public Prosecutor v Adam bin Darsin: Carnal Intercourse Against the Order of Nature

In Public Prosecutor v Adam bin Darsin, the High Court of Singapore sentenced Adam bin Darsin to 40 years imprisonment on December 6, 2000, for eight charges of carnal intercourse against the order of nature under Section 377 of the Penal Code. The accused had performed fellatio on eight boys ranging in age between 12 and 14 years old. The court imposed a deterrent sentence, emphasizing the need to protect society from such abhorrent offences.

1. Case Overview

1.1 Court

High Court

1.2 Outcome

Accused sentenced to 40 years imprisonment.

1.3 Case Type

Criminal

1.4 Judgment Type

Grounds of Decision

1.5 Jurisdiction

Singapore

1.6 Description

Adam bin Darsin was sentenced to 40 years imprisonment for carnal intercourse against the order of nature with eight boys. The High Court imposed a deterrent sentence.

1.7 Decision Date

5 December 2000

2. Parties and Outcomes

Party Name	Role	Type	Outcome	Outcome Type	Counsels
Public Prosecutor	Prosecution	Government Agency	Judgment for Prosecution	Won	Mohamed Nasser Ismail
Adam bin Darsin	Defendant	Individual	Convicted	Lost

3. Judges

Judge Name	Title	Delivered Judgment
Tay Yong Kwang	Judicial Commissioner	Yes

4. Counsels

Counsel Name	Organization
Mohamed Nasser Ismail	Attorney-General's Chambers

4. Facts

The Accused performed fellatio on eight boys ranging in age between 12 and 14 years old.
The Accused met the victims at a Street Soccer Court.
The Accused invited the boys to his flat to play video games.
The Accused would accost the victims when they were alone in his flat.
The victims did not tell anyone about the incidents.
The complainant confronted the Accused with the allegation that he had performed fellatio on some of them.
The police arrested the Accused in his flat.

5. Formal Citations

Public Prosecutor v Adam bin Darsin, CC 73/2000, [2000] SGHC 267

6. Timeline

Date	Event
1997-01-01	Accused became acquainted with Victim 6.
1997-07-01	Accused moved into Victim 6’s flat.
1999-01-01	Accused moved out of Victim 6’s flat.
2000-06-01	Boys assembled in Accused's flat to watch Euro 2000 soccer competition.
2000-06-21	Complainant confronted the Accused.
2000-06-22	Police arrested the Accused.
2000-12-06	Judgment issued.

7. Legal Issues

Carnal Intercourse Against the Order of Nature
- Outcome: The court held that fellatio between two male persons is unnatural carnal intercourse within the meaning of Section 377 of the Penal Code.
- Category: Substantive
- Related Cases:
  - [1997] I SLR 697
Sentencing for Paedophilia
- Outcome: The court applied the sentencing guidelines for paedophiles, sentencing the accused to 10 years imprisonment on each charge, with some sentences running consecutively.
- Category: Procedural
- Related Cases:
  - [1998] 1 SLR 801

8. Remedies Sought

Imprisonment
Deterrent Sentence

9. Cause of Actions

Violation of Section 377 of the Penal Code

10. Practice Areas

Criminal Litigation

11. Industries

No industries specified

12. Cited Cases

Case Name	Court	Affirmed	Citation	Jurisdiction	Significance
Lim Hock Hin Kelvin v PP	Court of Appeal	Yes	[1998] 1 SLR 801	Singapore	Cited for sentencing guidelines in respect of paedophiles.
PP v Kwan Kwong Weng	Court of Appeal	Yes	[1997] I SLR 697	Singapore	Cited to establish that fellatio between two male persons is unnatural carnal intercourse within the meaning of Section 377 of the Penal Code.

13. Applicable Rules

Rule Name
No applicable rules

14. Applicable Statutes

Statute Name	Jurisdiction
Section 377 of the Penal Code	Singapore

15. Key Terms and Keywords

15.1 Key Terms

Carnal intercourse
Fellatio
Paedophile
Deterrent sentence
Unnatural carnal intercourse

15.2 Keywords

Carnal intercourse
Fellatio
Paedophilia
Singapore
Criminal Law

16. Subjects

Criminal Law
Sexual Offences
Sentencing

17. Areas of Law

Criminal Law
Sexual Offences