Singapore:
A court in Singapore has sentenced a 26-year-old Indian national to 16 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane for raping a university student in 2019.
It also took charges of kidnapping and theft into consideration for the sentencing.
The TODAY newspaper reported that after stalking the university student as she walked to a bus stop late at night, Chinnaiah, who worked as a cleaner, pointed her in the wrong direction and then punched her before dragging her to a forested area and raping her.
The woman was so badly injured with facial bruising and other injuries that her then boyfriend did not recognise her upon visiting her at the hospital.
The rape took place on May 4, 2019. The court heard that the reason for the case had taken some four years to get to it was that Chinnaiah’s mental condition had required several rounds of psychiatric evaluation.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Kayal Pillay said that while Chinnaiah was sexually assaulting the student, she had tried to pull his hand away from her throat as she was unable to breathe. But Chinnaiah responded by tightening his grip, causing her to wheeze further, Mr Pillay said.
He also told her to keep quiet and that no one would hear her. Mr Pillay said that after he raped her, Chinnaiah started rummaging through her belongings. He took her water bottle and drank from it before he poured the remainder of the water over the lower half of her body.
Once he walked away, the student immediately went to her bag where she found her scissors and held them in her hand in case Chinnaiah returned, The DPP said.
While she was unable to locate her spectacles, she was able to find her mobile phone to speak to her boyfriend. He later contacted her friend who called the police.
