2 men on trial for rape, sexual assault of woman in hotel room

Two foreign nationals, aged 49 and 50, went on trial in the High Court on Sept 2 for raping and sexually assaulting a woman who used to work with the younger man.

The sexual offences were allegedly committed between Feb 26 and Feb 27, 2023, in a room at the Carlton Hotel in Bras Basah Road.

The two men, who appeared in the dock dressed in suits, are contesting the charges against them.

The pair, who have been friends for 20 years, cannot be named to protect the victim’s identity.

The court had earlier dismissed an attempt by the prosecution to lift the gag order on their names on the grounds that publishing their names might lead to the identification of the victim, as they were part of a small circle owing to their field of work.

The 49-year-old faces one charge of sexual assault by penetration, one charge of outrage of modesty, and one charge of obstructing the course of justice by deleting communications between himself and the second man.

The 50-year-old faces two charges of rape, two charges of outrage of modesty, a charge of possession of an intimate image of the woman, and a charge of obstructing the course of justice.

According to heavily redacted court documents, the woman used to work under the 49-year-old, and was still occasionally in touch with him.

On Feb 23, 2023, they agreed to meet for dinner while they were both in Singapore.

Both men were staying at the Carlton Hotel on separate floors.

The woman arrived in Singapore on Feb 24. She made a restaurant reservation for two at 6pm on Feb 26.

On the afternoon of Feb 26, the two men began drinking gin and tonic in the older man’s room. Prosecutors alleged that they also took Viagra.

The 50-year-old then invited a woman he knew, referred to as Ms J, to his room to have drinks with him and his friend.

Prosecutors alleged that the two men alluded to having a “threesome” with the 52-year-old Canadian, but she rejected the proposal and left at about 6pm.

In the meantime, the younger man and the alleged victim agreed to meet at the hotel before going to the restaurant. They met at the hotel lobby and went up to his friend’s room.

The woman did not know the 50-year-old, but recognised him as she had read his books before.

As the woman sat on the edge of the bed, she had two half glasses of gin and sparkling water. She also had some white wine.

As they chatted, the two men joined her in sitting on the bed, and the conversation turned sexual.

The woman texted her contact to hold her restaurant reservation. But the dinner plans did not come to pass.

Prosecutors said her last clear memory was having white wine at about 6.25pm.

Prosecutors alleged that as she drifted in and out of consciousness, she felt her clothes being removed, and that she said “no” many times while intrusive sexual acts were being performed on her.

Surveillance footage showed that the 49-year-old man left the room at about 8.20pm, said the prosecutors.

They said the 50-year-old left his room with the woman at about 3.45am on Feb 27, and took her to the place where she was staying. He returned to the hotel at 4.15am and asked for fresh linen.

At about 12.45pm, the 49-year-old sent a message to the woman, asking how she was feeling. When she asked him to explain to her what had happened the night before, he suggested meeting for coffee. She told him she was still weak, and they did not meet.

Prosecutors said the woman will testify that she went to Raffles Hospital to check if she had been sexually assaulted. She was referred to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, where she was interviewed by the police. 

The two men were arrested at the hotel on the same day.

The prosecutors, who include Deputy Public Proseutors Han Ming Kuang and Tay Jia En, contended in their opening address: “The victim did not consent to the sexual activity with the first accused and the second accused.

“The accused persons cannot reasonably argue that they, in good faith, believed that the victim consented to the acts in question.”

The 49-year-old is defended by Mr Chenthil Kumarasingam, while the 50-year-old is defended by Mr Eugene Thuraisingam.