Former Power 98 DJ and YouTuber Dee Kosh, real name Darryl Ian Koshy, was jailed for 32 weeks in August 2022 for sexual offences involving teenage boys, after soliciting paid sex from four adolescents between 2017 and 2020.
Dee Kosh had risen to fame through his YouTube channel and as a presenter on radio station Power 98, also co-hosting for Night Owl Cinematics. Allegations of sexual misconduct first surfaced publicly in 2020, and he was charged in August 2021. Power 98 suspended him, then placed him on no-pay leave pending the investigations.
In May 2022 he pleaded guilty to attempting to procure an indecent act from a young person and communicating with a minor to obtain sexual services, relating to two of the teenage victims. Two further charges involving two other victims were taken into consideration for sentencing. He also admitted to secretly filming himself having sex with another man, then aged between 23 and 25, with two more charges of making and possessing obscene films considered.
Court documents showed he had solicited paid sex from a total of four teenage boys between February 2017 and August 2020. Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Ying Min called him a seasoned criminal skilled at avoiding detection, describing the offences as highly premeditated and seeking five to eight months' jail. His lawyer asked for two and a half months, citing remorse and good rehabilitation prospects.
District Judge Jasvender Kaur imposed 14 weeks for attempting to sexually exploit a young person, 18 weeks for communicating with a minor for sexual services, and four weeks for making an obscene film, ordering the first two to run consecutively for a total of 32 weeks. She noted he had brushed off one teenager's repeated statements that he was underage, used secret chats on Telegram and Snapchat to conceal his actions, exploited his social media fame to track down a victim, and showed a lack of remorse in a YouTube video about the case.
The sentencing marked a stunning fall for one of Singapore's most recognisable online personalities, and intensified scrutiny of how influencer fame can be weaponised against vulnerable young followers.
The case also raised uncomfortable questions for the local media industry about vetting on-air talent. Power 98 moved quickly to distance itself once charges were filed, but commentators asked how much colleagues and managers had known about the double life of a presenter who committed his offences while holding a prominent radio slot. Victim advocates, meanwhile, praised the teenagers who came forward, noting that the gag order protecting their identities was essential to securing their testimony.