Yet another best SPF mata after Koven double-murder raped teens before BF
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/police-nsf-jailed-18-years-15-strokes-cane-teen-rape-extortion
Police NSF jailed 18 years, 15 strokes of the cane for teen rape, extortion
Police NSF jailed 18 years, 15 strokes of the cane for teen rape, extortion
Reuters file photo
mail
print
View all comments
[Pin It]
Tweet
By
Kelly Ng
[email protected]
Published: 7:56 PM, February 1, 2016
Updated: 8:00 PM, February 1, 2016
(Page 1 of 2) - NEXT PAGE | SINGLE PAGE
SINGAPORE — He would sneak up on couples getting intimate at stairwells of Housing and Development Board blocks, film them, and then abuse his authority as a full-time Police National Serviceman to extort them.
On one such instance in 2014, Muhammad Shazwan Sapuwan, 23, got sexually aroused and raped a 16-year-old girl in front of her boyfriend.
Today (Feb 1), he was sentenced to 18 years’ jail and 15 strokes of caning for one count each of rape, sexual assault by penetration, outrage of modesty, and extortion. Five other charges were taken into consideration.
In sentencing Shazwan, Judicial Commissioner Foo Chee Hock said these acts warrant a deterrent punishment to reflect society’s “abhorrence of such grievous offences”.
A High Court heard that on the afternoon of Oct 24, 2014, Shazwan trailed a couple to a block of flats at Teck Whye Lane, where he took photographs of their sexual acts, from one storey above where they were.
When the couple was done and were tidying themselves, Shazwan — dressed in a Jurong Police Division polo T-shirt and blue police pants — approached them, flashed his Police warrant card and asked for their particulars. Shazwan told them they had committed an offence of “public nudity”, the court heard.
Fearful that her parents will find out about the tryst, the girl, who was then 16 years old, begged Shazwan to let them go — she cannot be named to protect her identity.
Shazwan asked what he would gain by that, adding that he was a Sergeant, who had worked in the police force for three years and did not want to lose his job.
After one-and-a-half hours of negotiations, Shazwan said he would only delete the earlier clip of the couple’s tryst captured on the “system” on one condition: They have to repeat their sexual acts so he could record them on his mobile phone.
Shazwan explained that he wanted to record them on his mobile phone so that he would have leverage to ask them for money, if he lost his job.
Although the 18-year-old boyfriend initially resisted, the couple eventually complied out of fear and because of Shazwan’s incessant pressure.
In the midst of recording their acts, Shazwan touched the female victim’s hand and asked her boyfriend if he would be “mad” if he were to touch her. Fearful that Shazwan would tell on them to the authorities, the couple decided to agree with all his demands. Shazwan then sexually assaulted her.
When he was done, Shazwan told the couple he would leave first and call the couple “when there were no more police officers around”.
Two days later, Shazwan sent the male victim a text message to ask for “help”, claiming he had lost his job. He demanded S$40, which the male victim paid up, because he feared the video clip of the tryst would be circulated.
The following day, the female victim confided in her friends about the incident. They encouraged her to report the matter.
According to a victim impact statement tendered to the court, the victim felt humiliated and ashamed by the episode and started to shun social gatherings and male counterparts. She also had thoughts of committing suicide.
The court also heard that the girl’s mother had to accompany her to sleep as she was fearful of being alone at night.
Pressing for a deterrent and retributive sentence, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sellakumaran Sellamuthoo said Shazwan not only abused his status of authority as a police officer, his “brazen” behaviour had tarnished the reputation of the police force.
“Instead of upholding the law to protect life and property, the accused had lawlessly and brazenly abused his authority ... to act to the detriment of those whose interests he was supposed to safeguard,” said the DPP.
His offences were premeditated, the prosecution also charged, citing how he had previously targeted two other couples using the same modus operandi. According to court documents,
a total of S$1,960 was extorted from multiple victims.
