The woman’s former lover did not know her when he visited her in the hospital because of the severity of her injuries, which included face bruising and other wounds.
Singapore: For raping a college student in 2019, a 26-year-old Indian national was given a 16-year prison sentence and 12 canings by a Singaporean court.
The sentencing also considered the allegations of kidnapping and theft.
According to a story in the TODAY newspaper, Chinnaiah, a cleaner, followed the college student as she made her way to a bus stop late at night, followed her in the wrong direction, punched her, and then pulled her into a wooded area where he sexually assaulted her.
The woman’s former lover did not know her when he visited her in the hospital because of the severity of her injuries, which included face bruising and other wounds.
The date of the rape was May 4, 2019. The court heard that Chinnaiah’s mental health required multiple rounds of psychiatric evaluation, which is why the case took over four years to reach this point.
According to Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Kayal Pillay, the student attempted to pull Chinnaiah’s hand away from her throat because she was having trouble breathing as he was abusing her sexually. According to Mr. Pillay, Chinnaiah tightened his grip in response, making her wheeze even more.
He assured her that no one would hear her and that she should be silent. Mr. Pillay claimed that Chinnaiah began going through her possessions after he had sexually assaulted her. He took her water bottle and filled it up, then covered her lower body with the remaining water.
As soon as he left, the student discovered her scissors in her backpack and held them there in case Chinnaiah came back, according to the DPP.
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.
The DPP said after police arrived, the student was taken to a hospital for a sexual assault examination where she was found to have sustained multiple scratches, bruises and scrapes, including strangulation marks over her neck area.
Chinnaiah was arrested on May 5, 2019.
Seeking 15 to 17 years’ jail and 16 to 18 strokes of the cane, the prosecution argued that the degree of violence used to facilitate the rape was extreme and his attack had been unrelenting and vicious.
DPP Yvonne Poon also said that the attack was not spur of the moment as Chinnaiah had numerous interactions with the victim and had directed her away from her last possible route to safety.
Describing Chinnaiah’s pre-meditation as “insidious”, DPP Poon added that the man had made serious efforts to avoid detection by making his presence less apparent as he followed her.
The DPP also referred to the university student’s victim impact statement dated July 13, 2023, where she states she still has nightmares and flashbacks, thoughts of suicide, and a sense of shame.