Under the guise of helping his friend get rid of ghosts, a man in Singapore, now 23 years old, repeatedly molested and then raped her in 2019.
After he pleaded guilty to two charges of rape and one of sexual assault by penetration, the High Court has sentenced him to a prison term of 18 years, 11 months and three weeks in addition to 16 strokes of the cane.
They took four other charges into consideration at the time of sentencing.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the two knew each other in secondary school, with the victim calling him “kor”, or elder brother.
In 2019, they rekindled their friendship after the man contacted her via Facebook. At the time, the accused was 20 years old, while the victim was 22 years old.
He would drive her to and from work, having dinner with her and another friend.
His romantic feelings for her went unreciprocated, CNA reports, due to her interest in an ex-boyfriend.
Prior to the assault, the man informed the victim he was helping out at a temple and was a medium or “God of Chang E’s rabbit”. In addition, he took her to the temple on several occasions.
That same year, they were at the victim’s home when he said that there were spirits following her and her sister. He also claimed that her house had ghosts.
“The accused assured (her) that as a medium, he could perform consecration rituals to get rid of the ghosts and ensure that no harm would come to the victim and her sister,” the prosecution revealed.
The man performed the rituals at his or her house, during which he’d also give the victim amulets and talismans.
For the first few occasions, the victim remained fully clothed during the rituals, The Straits Times (ST) reports. He would proceed to gradually tell the victim to remove her clothes, drawing talismans on her body.
Between 22 July to 27 July 2019, he sexually assaulted her under the guise of the rituals. Despite her reluctance, he managed to convince her of the necessity of the acts.
“He had only told the victim that it was necessary… because he knew that the victim would not agree to having sex with him otherwise,” the prosecution said.
The victim eventually confessed to her friends about the offences after a second rape on 27 July 2019.
Following their advice, she lodged a police report two days later.
Seeking 17 to 23 years’ jail and 16 strokes of the cane, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sruthi Boppana said the man’s premeditation and abuse of trust were aggravating factors.
“The accused sexually exploited the victim at his whim,” she said.
According to CNA, the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) had assessed the woman’s overall adaptive living skills. Results showed that they fell within the below-average range of functioning.
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Ms Boppana pointed out that this made her defenceless against the man’s manipulation, ST reports.
Despite knowing she had no feelings for him, the man also intended to impregnate her.
On the other hand, the lawyers representing the man argued for up to 16 years’ jail and 14 strokes of the cane.
They said that the man was deeply remorseful and had sent the victim a written letter of apology to showcase his regret.
He was also a first-time offender who pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Also read: 69-Year-Old Man Rapes His Helper When She Could Not Resist, Gets 15 Years’ Jail
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