Man jailed for targeting female jogger, molesting and punching her when she struggled

SINGAPORE: A delivery driver who was watching a pornographic video in his van spotted a lone jogger and alighted to molest her and pull her towards some bushes.

When she struggled, the man punched her chest, with the victim falling to the ground and cutting her elbow.

For one charge of aggravated outrage of modesty, 60-year-old Kannan Sukumaran was sentenced on Tuesday (Aug 11) to four years and three months' jail.

The court heard that Kannan had parked his van on the main road along Yishun Avenue 1 on the evening of May 12 this year.

He was watching a pornographic video inside the van at about 7.30pm when he spotted the victim, a 36-year-old woman, jogging alone along the pavement.

"The accused was further aroused by the sight of the victim, and he decided to approach the victim," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Kor Zhen Hong.

Kannan alighted from his van, approached the jogger from behind and used his right arm to restrain her. 

He then groped the woman and tried to push her towards some bushes beside the pavement, but the woman resisted him.

In the course of the struggle, Kannan punched the woman once on her chest. She subsequently fell and cut her left elbow. When the woman fell to the ground, Kannan told her: "I want to **** you." This caused her "significant alarm", as she was in fear of being raped, said the prosecutor.

She tried to kick Kannan away and began shouting for help, court documents said.

ANOTHER JOGGER CAME TO HER AID

Another jogger, a 39-year-old woman, heard the victim's shouts for help and approached her. When Kannan saw that passers-by were responding to the victim, he fled to his van and drove off. 

The second jogger noted the van's registration number and called the police. Paramedics attended to the victim but she did not want to be taken to hospital. Kannan was later arrested at his home.

The prosecutor asked for four-and-a-half years' jail and another three months in lieu of caning.

He listed the aggravating factors, which include the fact that Kannan had approached the victim from behind, restrained her and used force.

His words to the victim also caused her "significant alarm" as she feared she would be raped, the court heard, and that the victim suffered a cut from the struggle.

The prosecutor asked for jail time in lieu of caning, noting that Kannan would have known before committing the offence that he would be exempted from caning due to his age.

For aggravated outrage of modesty, he could have been jailed for between two years and 10 years. He was not caned as he is above 50.