Jail, caning for man who raped colleague after drinking session, boasted to his friend about it
File photo of the Supreme Court entrance.
Davina Tham
11 Mar 2022 05:52PM(Updated: 11 Mar 2022 05:52PM)Bookmark
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SINGAPORE: A man met his female colleague for drinks at a void deck in June 2020, where they chatted and drank alcohol until the woman was severely intoxicated.
He then carried her up to his flat, where he raped her multiple times while she was unconscious. He also told a friend about his actions.
The offender, now 24, was on Friday (Mar 11) sentenced to 15 years' jail and 20 strokes of the cane.
The court heard that the man also took videos and photographs of his housemate in the bathroom after discovering a hole at the bottom of the toilet door. He sent the videos to the same friend.
He recorded 18 videos and nine photographs of his housemate over a period of about a year from November 2018 to December 2019, and also took photographs of her while she was sleeping.
The man pleaded guilty on Friday to one count each of rape, sexual assault and distributing a voyeuristic image, and two counts of outrage of modesty. Twenty other charges were taken into consideration.
He and the victims cannot be named as there is a gag order on their identities.
DRINKING SESSION
The man first became acquainted with his colleague in November 2019 and they subsequently exchanged numbers and occasionally chatted about work.They had known each other for about eight months when they agreed to hang out after the woman's shift on Jun 21, 2020. The pair arrived at the void deck of the man's housing block at about 10.30pm.
While at the void deck, the victim drank alcohol and eventually lost consciousness. The man recorded six video clips of her in this state.
In a video clip played in court, the woman was seen laying her head on the table as the offender said he was going to carry her home.
Although the offender had been drinking with the victim, "he was lucid, he was able to talk, conversational and clearly not extremely intoxicated", said Deputy Public Prosecutor Yang Ziliang.
At about 1am, the man carried the victim to his flat and placed her on the sofa. He partially undressed her and took a photo of her, which he sent to his friend.
He then moved the victim to his bed, raping her twice and sexually assaulting her. After he woke up later in the night, he raped her again.
After this, he sent a message to his friend, saying that he "did it" with the victim three times.
The victim regained consciousness sometime before 9.40am and was shocked to find herself lying naked next to the offender in his bed. She also felt pain in her private parts.
She asked the offender if he had done anything that he should not have done to her, and he replied that he had. He also showed her the videos he had taken of her in an intoxicated state at the void deck.
While looking at the videos on his phone, the victim saw the messages and the photo of her that he sent to his friend.
She immediately deleted the videos, photos and messages from his phone. She also deleted her number. The offender accompanied the victim as she left his flat and booked a private-hire car for her.
The victim did not initially lodge a police report as she felt scared and insecure, and was unfamiliar with the investigative procedures, according to the prosecution.
After the incident, the offender sent the victim messages that month and the following month, asking about her whereabouts. She told him not to harass her again, and he stopped trying to contact her.
However, she remained very troubled by his actions and asked a friend how the police handled rape cases. She told her friend what had happened.
On the same day, her friend called the police and the offender was arrested that night. This was about a month after she was raped.
IMPACT OF HIS ACTIONS
The victim suffered "immense trauma" from what happened to her and continues to feel that "it is very hopeless to be alive", said the prosecution.She experienced thoughts of suicide after the incident, and was warded at the Institute of Mental Health for almost three months. She was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and given therapy and medication to help her sleep.
Her ability to work and socialise has been substantially impaired, added the prosecution. In a victim impact statement taken in December 2021, she reported having difficulties at work as her colleagues were asking about the incident.
She was also fearful of men and felt she would not be able to find someone who would love her and "accept" her past.
The prosecution sought 15 years to 18 years' jail and 20 strokes of the cane, citing the victim's vulnerability given her severely intoxicated state and the psychological harm she suffered.
Pro bono defence lawyer Gregory Fong said the offender had a "crush" on the victim and was remorseful for his actions. He asked for 12 years to 14 years' jail.
The lawyer said the man's judgment was clouded as he had also been drinking, and asked for consideration that his client was a young offender who could be rehabilitated.
