PhD student who attempted to rape ex-housemate gets jail and caning

SINGAPORE: A PhD student who attempted to rape his former housemate after his repeated advances were rejected was sentenced to jail and caning on Monday (Dec 1).

Gao Xiong, a 31-year-old Chinese national, will be imprisoned for six years, six months and six weeks, and receive three strokes of the cane.

He pleaded guilty to four charges which include attempted rape and criminal trespass, with another three charges taken into consideration.

THE CASE

The court heard that Gao was completing his PhD studies in Singapore at the time of the offences.

The school was not named in court documents, and the victim's identity is protected by gag order.

The victim was 21 at the time and was also completing her tertiary education in Singapore.

The pair used to be housemates until Gao left in end-August 2023.

In early October 2023, Gao began pursuing the victim romantically, texting her and asking her to go out with him.

The victim repeatedly rejected him and asked him to stop bothering her, to no avail.

As a result of the harassment, including times when Gao went to the unit to look for her, the victim stayed with her friend for a few days.

In October 2023, Gao again sought her at the unit and went to her room. The victim spoke to him only briefly and refused to engage, saying she would call the police.

Both the victim and the tenancy agent who had already told Gao not to go to the unit reported the trespass.

Gao left the unit when the police arrived, but remained at a nearby bus stop and continued texting the victim, saying he was waiting for her there.

He tried to call her, and continued harassing the victim into the wee hours of the next day.

The victim did not respond and took urgent leave from work the next day, remaining in the unit and mostly staying in her room.

Gao returned the next day. He rang the doorbell and was let in by a Burmese tenant.

The pair could not communicate due to language issues, and Gao entered the unit wanting to speak to the victim.

The victim was speaking to her parents on the phone when Gao knocked on her door.

When she saw him outside, she asked him what he was doing. He said he had left his bank card in the unit and wanted to apologise for his angry messages the night before.

The victim rejected the apology and reiterated that he was trespassing and said she would call the police.

Gao felt "frustrated and sensitive" at this reaction and stopped the victim when she tried to close her door.

He forcibly entered the victim's room before molesting her and attempting to rape her.

He later admitted that he did this because he wanted to have sex with the victim, to humiliate her and to "release a bit of anger".

Another tenant went to her aid, dragging Gao away so that the victim could close her door.

Inside her room, the victim cried and texted her roommates and friends for help.

After drinking some alcohol he obtained from another tenant, Gao calmed down and tried to speak to the victim through her door, but she ignored him.

The police were called in and the victim went to a hospital where a doctor noted her injuries. These include scratches and bruises on her legs.

After Gao's arrest, he was referred for psychiatric assessment and found not to suffer from any psychiatric disorder or illness.

Gao's antics did not stop after his arrest.

While attending a pre-trial conference via Zoom call at the State Courts in May 2024, he wanted to speak to the judge and tried to snatch the laptop from his lawyer before running out of the room.

He ran towards a chamber where he ignored a "No Entry" sign and went in, intending to speak to the judge.

A staff member inside asked him to leave, and his father tried to drag him out, but Gao did not budge.

He eventually left when the staff member sought help. The panic alarm was activated at one point.

This formed a charge of criminal trespass against Gao.

Despite his bail conditions stating that he could not contact the victim, Gao returned to her unit several times intending to "find something to 'lighten his charge'".

He also wanted to obtain the victim's contact details in order to persuade her to withdraw the allegations.

SENTENCING

The prosecution sought seven years and five weeks' jail to eight years and seven weeks' jail for Gao, along with three strokes of the cane.

They said Gao repeatedly harassed the victim and trespassed into her home even when she rejected him and stayed home to avoid him. 

He was only unsuccessful in the attempted rape because another housemate fortuitously heard her screams and pulled the accused away from her before he could complete the deed, said the prosecutors.

Defence lawyer Don Tan submitted that rape is an inherently violent offence, and that only excessive force is counted as an aggravating factor.

He said no excessive force was used in this case.

He said his client "had time to complete the offence" but "did not do so ultimately".

"All his years of working hard in China and even in Singapore have gone down the drain," said Mr Tan. "It is unlikely for him to have any kind of academic success in this area anymore, and in fact he may have to restart his life back in China, really in a place where he may not be able to call home anymore because of his current offences."

Gao wanted to speak to the judge directly but was stopped. He later told the court through his lawyer that he wished to apologise to the victim.

He said he was concerned and asked about her well-being, after putting her through "a bad experience".

The judge asked for Gao to be referred for any prison programmes to address his "sexual attitude and behaviour", and allowed his father time to speak to him before being taken away.