Jail and caning for NSF who raped ex-girlfriend and cousin
District Judge Eddy Tham said that reformative training for a full-time national serviceman who raped two teens would be a “glaringly inadequate” sentence, and imposed a jail sentence and caning.
SINGAPORE — A 20-year-old full-time national serviceman (NSF) who raped his ex-girlfriend and distant cousin was sentenced to jail for six years, nine months and two weeks as well as six strokes of the cane.
In 2015, he raped his ex-girlfriend, then 17, and after he was arrested and released on bail, he raped his distant cousin, then 16, in 2016.
When he pleaded guilty last month, District Judge Eddy Tham called for a report to assess if he is suitable for reformative training — a regimented rehabilitation programme for offenders under the age of 21 who commit relatively serious crimes.
At the hearing on Thursday (Oct 3), defence lawyer Wee Pan Lee said that the NSF has “taken responsibility for these sexual acts” and argued that instead of serving a jail term, he should go through reformative training because he is a young offender and has shown to be receptive to reform.
However, the judge decided that reformative training would be a “glaringly inadequate” sentence.
District Judge Tham said that the NSF showed “no remorse” after the first offence, given that he committed the same act on a second, even younger, victim.
He also noted that the young man “clearly knew it was wrong” because he asked the second victim not to file a police report after he raped her.
The NSF is appealing the sentence.
FIRST RAPE VICTIM
The court heard that on Nov 15, 2015, the youth, then 17, offered to take his ex-girlfriend home on his electric bicycle after she had a beer with her friends at a coffee shop and got into an argument with him.
It was not stated in court documents where he lived.
When they went to his place to retrieve the e-bike, his father, grandmother and sister were having dinner in the living room.
The two of them went to his bedroom where he later touched her private parts. She told him to stop, but he proceeded to rape her.
She struggled, pushed him away and told him to stop but he continued assaulting her.
Afterwards, when his friends came over, she told them what he had done but he told them she was arrogant and said loudly that he had raped her.
The girl, accompanied by her mother, made a police report a few hours later.
SECOND RAPE VICTIM
The second rape took place a year later, on Oct 13, 2016.
He was 18 years old at the time and waiting to enlist in National Service.
He had known his distant cousin since she was a child, but they hardly met. The two chatted about their sexual experiences on WhatsApp after she posted on Snapchat that she had a boyfriend.
She went over to his family’s second flat in Buangkok that day and she realised then that no one else was home.
After some time, they went into the master bedroom when he said that he was afraid they would bother his neighbours if they continued talking in the living room.
Lying on the bed in the bedroom, he pinched her cheeks and told her that she was “very cute”.
Then he pinned her down and asked her to have sex but she replied that she did not want anything and he raped her.
Afterwards, when she wanted to leave, he told her not to make a police report because he was already being investigated for raping his ex-girlfriend.
He also made her delete all their text messages.
She started crying and promised not to report him to the police because she was anxious to leave.
She made a police report a month later.
