Fake healer jailed for sexual assault

An elderly man posed as a healer and sexually assaulted a woman during a sham ritual to purportedly treat her of a “black magic” attack.

On Jan 23, Mohamed Salleh Samad, 71, was sentenced to six years and eight months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to sexually penetrating the 46-year-old victim without her consent.

For sexually penetrating another person without consent, an offender can be jailed for up to 20 years and fined or caned. Salleh cannot be caned as he is more than 50 years old.

The prosecution said that the victim had earlier complained of having a bloated stomach and had also felt pain in some parts of her body, including her lower back.

Confiding in a man, the woman attributed her condition to her former husband possibly casting “black magic” on her. She then found out about Salleh, who was said to be able to “heal” her.

On Aug 25, 2023, Salleh went to the woman’s home to meet her. Details about the unit and the victim cannot be disclosed due to a gag order to protect her identity.

Deputy public prosecutors Joseph Gwee and Grace Teo stated in court documents: “The accused performed a ‘ritual’ on the victim, which involved her showering in water mixed with salt and vinegar, and left the unit thereafter.”

However, the woman continued to experience pain, and asked Salleh to return for a second ritual three days later.

On Aug 28, 2023, he arrived at the unit at around 2.30pm, asked the woman to lie down on the living room floor and touched her abdomen.

He then removed several nails from his mouth, claiming that he had extracted them from her.

Salleh later asked the woman’s family members to leave the unit, claiming that he did not want to “scare them” and they complied.

Shortly before 5pm that day, she started feeling faint and semi-conscious, the court heard.

Salleh then slipped a hand underneath her clothes and sexually assaulted her.

After that, he lied to the woman, claiming that there was something inside her body.

The DPPs said: “At this point, the victim was labouring under the misconception... that it was necessary for the accused to (sexually penetrate her) for her to be healed of the ‘black magic’ she was under. She agreed to let the accused remove the ‘item’ from her (body).”

Salleh told the woman to go to her bedroom, and bathe in water mixed with salt and vinegar.

The victim complied and he later joined her in the room where he sexually penetrated her again.

He then pretended to remove some pieces of white thread and several cotton bits from her body.

At around 6.30pm, he opened the bedroom door and said that the ritual had concluded.

The woman later confided in a friend about the incident and alerted the police.

On Sept 26, 2023, officers arrested Salleh, who admitted to investigators that the treatments were just a ruse.

The DPPs said: “(He) admitted to purchasing items (such as the) threads and nails prior to his visit to the unit on Aug 28, 2023, to deceive the victim into believing these were being removed from her body and that he was curing her (of) her alleged condition.

“He admitted that he performed the ‘rituals’ knowing that they would not cure the victim.”

On Jan 23, the prosecution urged the court to sentence Salleh to up to seven years and two months’ jail, stressing that he had committed elaborate acts of deception.

Salleh was represented by defence lawyers Nakoorsha A.K., Michelle Tang and Rasveen Kaur, who pleaded for their client to be given up to six years and six months’ jail.

The lawyers from Nakoorsha Law Corporation added: “Salleh... is elderly and frail, having previously suffered a heart attack... Salleh feels a strong sense of regret and remorse for his actions... This (was also his) first brush with the law, and he does not have any prior antecedents.”