Witness takes stand in trial over alleged rape on Sentosa
SINGAPORE — More details of the events in the lead up to the alleged rape that took place at Siloso beach three years ago were revealed in the High Court yesterday (Sept 15) during an ongoing trial where a 26-year-old allegedly raped a drunken partygoer.
A friend of victim who had accompanied her to the beach party at Wave House, both of whom cannot be named to protect the victim’s identity, took the witness stand yesterday. According to her, amid the various drinks they had that night, liquor from the Cointreau bottle was also poured directly into the victim’s mouth for 20 seconds.
The witness added that the accused, Pram Nair, who was a Sentosa lifeguard at that time, had suggested doing so because the victim was 20 years old.
In the opening of the prosecution’s case last month, Deputy Public Prosecutor Bhajanvir Singh said the victim was introduced to Nair at the party on May 5 2012. At one point, Nair, who is represented by lawyer Peter Ong, had allegedly took the intoxicated victim to the beach and raped her, he said.
Prior to the alleged incident, the witness said yesterday she had tried looking for the victim to leave the party and found Nair supporting her as she looked “really drunk”. Nair then told her to grab the victim’s bag but the witness could not find them when she returned.
The witness tried calling the victim on her mobile multiple times but no one answered. When someone did pick up one time, no one said anything on the other end, she said. She tried calling again, and this time Nair picked up and told her they were at the beach and she need not go find them.
But the witness still headed to the beach and found the victim “passed out” on the beach wearing only a tank top and could not respond to anything the witness was saying. She also claimed that Nair was rummaging through his bag near where the victim was found and threw her a pair of shorts to put on the victim.
The witness said the victim was not very coherent by then and claims that victim had asked her call her boyfriend or another man called Jeremy.
When the victim started foaming at her mouth, the witness said she called for the ambulance.
During the defence’s cross examination of the witness, Mr Ong challenged her statement and claimed that the witness had been the one who suggested that the liquor was to be poured directly into the victim’s mouth for 20 seconds.
He then disputed the duration of that particular incident where the witness claimed that Nair had poured the liquor down the victim’s throat for 20 seconds, noting that it lasted only for one to two seconds.
Mr Ong also questioned the witness’s conclusion that the victim was raped by Nair when the witness did not see him doing anything.
He also suggested that the witness was upset that Nair had not shown interest in the witness and hence accused him of raping the victim. The witness yesterday disagreed to the above challenges made by the lawyer.
The trial continues today and if convicted, Nair can be jailed up to 20 years and fined or caned.
