Woman admits failing to immediately report friend’s rape

Following a drinking session in a hotel room, a male teenager carried an unconscious woman to the bathroom, where another person – a then 20-year-old man – raped her.

The man then told the youth, who was 19 when the offence took place in 2021, and the victim’s female friend he had sex with the unresponsive victim, then 23.

The trio agreed they would lie to the victim by claiming she had woken up before following the man to the bathroom.

On Feb 1, the female friend, now 21, admitted in court that she had failed to immediately give information to police about the rape despite having reason to believe that the man had committed the offence.

The prosecution said she was legally bound to do so.

The names of all parties linked to this case have been redacted from court documents. The teenager was identified as B1, and the 20-year-old man, B2.

The documents did not disclose the outcome of the cases involving the pair.

Separately, the female friend also pleaded guilty to other offences, including cheating.

All four were part of a party of eight who had gathered in a room at Hotel Royal in Newton Road during the Covid-19 pandemic on Nov 28, 2021.

They shared eight bottles of alcoholic drinks.

At around midnight, a hotel concierge called the room to tell them they were in breach of Covid-19 regulations. Due to safe management measures, only up to five people could gather in a group at the time.

Two people then left the room, while six remained.

In the wee hours of Nov 29, the victim felt tipsy and nodded off after downing a last shot of liquor.

B2 was lying next to her on a bed when he began hugging her.

Some time between 3am and 6am, B1 carried the victim to the bathroom and B2 raped her. Court documents did not state what the other people in the room were doing at the time.

After committing the offence, B2 carried the victim out and put her back on the bed before falling asleep himself. When he woke up, he told B1 and the victim’s female friend that he had sex with the woman.

The victim woke up later that morning and suspected that she had been raped when she felt pain while using the toilet. She later asked her female friend what had happened, and the friend replied she did not know.

At around 9am, all six people left the hotel.

The victim lodged a police report on Dec 1, 2021.

In an unrelated case, in March 2022, the female friend came across an Instagram advertisement for “fast cash”, which directed her to a group on messaging platform Telegram.

She communicated with a man known as “London Stark”, who offered her $1,000 to open a bank account.

The woman did as she was told before handing over the Internet banking details, such as her password, to him.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Jing Min said that the bank had not authorised her to do so.

The woman had also deceived the bank into believing she was the sole operator of the account.

Between March 9 and 16, 2022, London Stark used the account to handle the proceeds of a scam.

The DPP did not disclose the amount involved.

On May 9, 2022, the woman opened another bank account that was also used to handle scam proceeds.

She will be sentenced on March 18.