Man sentenced to jail and caning for raping maid
Intoxicated, a 43-year-old man raped his domestic worker, and while out on court bail, molested another woman.
The Chinese national, who cannot be named due to a gag order, was sentenced to 11½years and five weeks in jail, and nine strokes of the cane.
He pleaded guilty to one count of raping the domestic worker, and another count of molesting the other woman.
The maid, a 32-year-old Myanmar national, was working in the man's home, which he shared with his wife, son and two tenants. She started working for them in July 2017, and the man and his wife were her first employers in Singapore.
In 2018, the man and the victim were alone in the unit, and he was drinking beer alone in his bedroom.
He called her into the room and told her to massage him, and she massaged him on his legs, shoulders, and upper back.
He then told her to massage his collarbone.
Suddenly, he pulled her onto the bed and held her down before sexually assaulting her, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Gregory Gan.
After the attack, she ran back to her room and called her friend, another domestic worker from Myanmar, who contacted the police.
The man asked the victim to come out of the room after the incident, but she refused to.
He was arrested the next morning.
ON MRT
While on bail, the man molested a 38-year-old British national taking the MRT.
He stood behind her on the escalator, reached under her skirt and touched her upper thigh near her buttock.
She reported the incident to the control station and the police were called in.
DPP Gan sought a sentence of at least 12 years, five weeks and 10 strokes of the cane.
DPP Gan said the rape victim was a foreigner in Singapore and had worked here only for about half a year.
"In particular, given the vulnerability of domestic maids and the prevalence of such relationships in Singapore, such conduct must be strongly deterred to ensure the safety and protection of domestic maids working in households across Singapore," he said.
The man's lawyer, Mr Sunil Sudheesan, said the man was very remorseful and his wife had left him.
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