Bail revoked for man accused of human trafficking after fresh charge of assaulting bailor

SINGAPORE: An Italian man accused of tricking a Singaporean woman into sex work had his bail revoked by the State Courts on Friday (Nov 14) after he was handed a fresh charge involving violence against his bailor.

Already facing 16 charges, Achraf Arjaouy, 31, now faces an additional charge of voluntarily causing hurt to his bailor - a woman he was in a relationship with.

The prosecution argued on Friday for Achraf's bail to be revoked based on the grounds that that he breached his bail condition by committing a fresh offence, and that he was at a high risk of reoffending while on bail. 

Achraf, who was unrepresented, argued for bail to remain and called on the bailor he had allegedly attacked to address the court in support of him. He told the court he had a "loving" relationship with his bailor, whom he referred to as his "partner" during the hearing.  

EXISTING CHARGES

Achraf originally faced 16 charges, the bulk of which are for cheating. Of these, he is currently contesting one charge under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act involving a Singaporean woman he allegedly tricked into sex work. The remaining charges have been stood down for the time being.

He was granted bail of S$100,000 (US$76,806) while his cases were pending. 

At trial, the court heard that the Singaporean woman had met Achraf on a dating app and agreed to travel with him to Qatar via Dubai while under the impression that he was a wealthy man who wanted to marry her.

She was allegedly told later that she needed to show US$10,000 as proof of funds before she could enter Qatar, and Achraf arranged for her to provide sexual services in Dubai.

The trial has been adjourned for the verdict to be delivered on Jan 16, 2026.

ALLEGEDLY HIT BAILOR WHILE OUT ON BAIL

While out on bail, Achraf allegedly attacked his bailor on several occasions. However, he was only charged in relation to the incident on Oct 15, which the prosecution said was the fourth time he had been implicated in police reports for violence against his bailor.

As such, there was evidence that "strongly" suggested that Achraf was a recalcitrant offender while on bail, the prosecution said. 

It submitted an affidavit by an investigation officer which detailed the occasions Achraf was supposedly aggressive towards his bailor. 

On May 15, 2024, the bailor sought help from the police and claimed that her life was in danger.

On Sep 8, 2024, a third party lodged a police report alleging that Achraf had assaulted his girlfriend, who was identified to be the bailor. The bailor ended up in the hospital and her medical report detailed that she had been punched in her face and choked by Achraf.

About two weeks later, another person lodged a police report for a separate incident where the bailor was allegedly harassed by Achraf. She again ended up in the hospital, where she told the doctor that she had been slapped, punched and choked by Achraf.

"The incident on Oct 15, 2025 represents a continuation of the physical abuse perpetrated by the accused against (his bailor)," the prosecution told the court. On this occasion, Achraf supposedly assaulted the bailor after she refused to give him money.

The woman applied on Oct 17 to be discharged as Achraf's bailor, but withdrew the application on Oct 29.

"On balance, the public interest necessitates a revocation of the accused’s bail. It is clear on the totality of the evidence that the accused has a proclivity for violence towards (the bailor) when they have a disagreement," the prosecution said.

Achraf, however, contended that he was in a "loving relationship" with the bailor and that the encounters were a misunderstanding.

The bailor also addressed the court in person, claiming that Achraf had no intention to hurt her. She added that she was not pursuing the matter of his alleged assault and was willing to remain as his bailor.

After hearing both sides, District Judge Brenda Tan ordered that court bail be revoked for Achraf.

She said that the prosecution had presented evidence that showed there were reasonable grounds to believe that the accused had committed the offence detailed in the new charge. Information provided in the affidavit also indicated that this was not the only instance of violence against his bailor, Judge Tan added.

She asserted that there was sufficient basis for the court to believe that Achraf breached his bail conditions, and there was "valid concern" that he may repeat his violent conduct should he remain on bail.

Achraf was remanded after his hearing concluded.