Former radio DJ and YouTuber Dee Kosh was sentenced to 32 weeks' jail on August 5, 2022, for sexual offences involving teenage boys, after soliciting paid sex from four teenagers between 2017 and 2020. The prosecution described the once-popular presenter as a seasoned criminal skilled at avoiding detection.
Kosh, whose full name is Darryl Ian Koshy, pleaded guilty in May 2022 to attempting to procure an indecent act from a young person and to communicating with a minor to obtain sexual services, in relation to two teenage victims. Two further charges involving two other victims were taken into consideration for sentencing. Court documents showed that he had solicited paid sex from a total of four teenage boys between February 2017 and August 2020.
He also admitted to secretly filming himself having sex with another man, then aged between 23 and 25, without the man's consent. Two additional charges of making and possessing obscene films were taken into consideration.
During sentencing, Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Ying Min called Kosh a seasoned criminal skilled at avoiding detection, arguing that his offences were highly premeditated. District Judge Jasvender Kaur noted as an aggravating factor that Kosh had persisted in pursuing one victim even after the boy repeatedly told him he was underage, at one point urging the teenager to think of the money being offered. The judge also found that Kosh had deliberately moved conversations with victims to Telegram and Snapchat and asked one victim to delete their WhatsApp chat, inferring a nefarious intent to destroy evidence. She rejected the defence's suggestion that he had done so merely to be discreet about his sexuality.
Kosh rose to prominence through his YouTube channel and as a presenter on radio station Power 98. He was also a co-host on the popular YouTube channel Night Owl Cinematics before being quietly let go after the allegations emerged. At the height of his fame he was regarded as one of Singapore's most recognisable online personalities.
The prosecution had sought five to eight months' jail, while the defence asked for two and a half months, citing remorse and a psychiatrist's assessment of good rehabilitation prospects. The judge settled on 32 weeks.
Kosh was released in early 2023 after serving his sentence. In a subsequent interview with influencer Xiaxue, he spoke about his time in Changi Prison, describing the experience and naming the local celebrities most popular among inmates. His attempt at a public comeback drew mixed reactions, with some netizens willing to hear him out and others insisting his crimes should permanently end his media career. The case remains one of several involving local celebrities convicted of sex offences, and it prompted renewed discussion about power imbalances between public figures and young fans.