Man, 61, gets jail for molesting maid in lift, assaulting stranger with metal chain while out on bail
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- Singaram Palianeapan, 61, followed a domestic worker into a lift after he met her at a coffee shop
- While in the lift, he touched her inappropriately and kissed her forehead without consent
- Singaram tried to get her to go home with him but she refused
- When he was out on bail for the offence, he reoffended by assaulting a man with a metal chain wrapped around his fist
- He was sentenced to 10 months' jail
BY
JASMINE ONG
Published January 26, 2024Updated January 26, 2024
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SINGAPORE — After meeting a domestic worker at a coffee shop, Singaram Palianeapan followed her into a lift where he molested the young woman while keeping her trapped for nearly 90 seconds.
About a month later, while he was out on bail, Singaram punched a man at a bicycle shop three times with a metal chain wrapped around his right fist.
Singaram, 61, was sentenced to 10 months' jail after he pleaded guilty to a charge of using criminal force to outrage the modesty of a person, and a charge of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.
Four other similar charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
The domestic worker cannot be named under a court order to protect her identity.
Court documents showed that on the morning of Sept 28 in 2022, the domestic worker was buying food at a coffee shop when she was approached by Singaram, who offered her S$2 to buy herself a drink.
Since she did not know Singaram, she initially refused his offer but later accepted the money when he insisted.
After getting her food, she proceeded to head back to her employer's residence as Singaram followed her.
The two reached the lift lobby of the housing block where the worker was living and she entered the lift even though Singaram did not live there.
He then pressed the button for level 17 but when the worker tried to press the button for level five, Singaram stopped her. The pair were alone in the lift.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Jordy Kay said that once the doors closed and the lift started to move, Singaram began to molest the worker and kiss her forehead without her consent.
He also tried to touch the victim's chest area but was unsuccessful when she pushed his hand away.
Feeling very frightened by Singaram, the woman tried to push him away and distance herself from him.
The lift eventually arrived at level 17 and Singaram stood by the lift doors to ask the victim to follow him.
When she refused, he went back into the lift and selected the seventh floor.
As the lift moved, he continued to touch her without her consent by rubbing her back and stroking her hand.
Once again, the woman tried to push him away and quickly made her exit when the lift reached level seven.
Singaram was in the lift with the victim for about a minute and 28 seconds, and all of his actions were captured on the lift's closed-circuit television camera.
When the victim arrived home, she told her employer what had happened and a police report was filed.
Singaram was arrested on Sept 28 and released on bail the next day.
PUNCHING MAN AT BICYCLE SHOP
About a month later, on the evening of Oct 28 in 2022, Mr Yeoh Su Kai was at his friend Hu Jianpeng's bicycle shop located along Woodlands Close.Singaram had gone down to Mr Hu's shop to confront him about the problems he was facing with the personal mobility device (PMD) that he bought from Mr Hu.
A dispute broke out between the two as they shouted at one another.
When Singaram started to hit Mr Hu, Mr Yeoh tried to calm Singaram down.
His intervention was unsuccessful as Singaram retrieved a metal chain from his PMD and wrapped it around his right fist before punching Mr Yeoh in the face three times.
Mr Yeoh fell to the floor and was later taken to Khoo Teck Phuat Hospital where he was found to have sustained a 2cm-long superficial wound over his left upper eyelid as well as tenderness over his neck and right buttock area.
He was discharged from the hospital on the same day with three days of outpatient medical leave.
Seeking a jail term of between nine and 11 months, DPP Kay argued that even though the degree of sexual exploitation was low since there was no intrusion of private parts, there was still an attempt to touch the domestic worker's chest area.
DPP Kay also addressed the assault on Mr Yeoh, highlighting that the metal chain used was serious given that the injuries were to the victim's head, which is a vulnerable part of the body.
He added that Mr Yeoh was attacked in a public place and was just a bystander who was trying to stop Singaram from hitting the shop owner.
Anyone who voluntarily causes hurt with a dangerous weapon could be jailed for up to seven years or fined or caned, or be given any combination of these punishments.
Anyone using criminal force to outrage the modesty of a person could be jailed for up to three years or fined or caned, or receive any combination of these punishments.
