SINGAPORE: A 26-year-old man who was physically abusive with his girlfriend confronted her after they broke up, when she told him not to contact her anymore.
He raped the woman in her own bedroom, telling her it was “for her own good”. He later told investigators he did so to “educate” her to speak up after talking and texting did not work.
The man was sentenced to 10 years and six weeks’ jail, and nine strokes of the cane on Monday (Jan 20).
He pleaded guilty to one count each of rape, voluntarily causing hurt and mischief. Two more charges of rape and sexual assault were considered in sentencing.
The offender cannot be named as this could lead to the identification of the victim, who was in a relationship with him from July 2020 to May 2021.
He admitted to being physically violent during their relationship when the woman did things “in a ridiculous manner”, and said he would “strangle (her) for a while” when she did “something wrong”.
After they broke up, the man continued contacting her even though she had told him she was dating someone else. She felt this was inappropriate.
On Aug 21, 2021, the woman told the man that they could be friends but that he should not message her, and blocked him on social media.
The man became extremely upset and went to the woman’s home to confront her, arriving at close to midnight. He was let in by family members who did not know they had broken up.
The man went straight to his ex-girlfriend’s bedroom and closed the door. He demanded to know why she had blocked him and accused her of not treating him like a friend.
The woman tried to text someone to alert them about the man’s sudden arrival, but he saw this and snatched her phone away before the message could go through.
He also stopped her when she tried to leave under the pretence of meeting some friends, locking her bedroom door and saying he wanted to spend “some quality time” with her.
The woman was silent and unresponsive when he questioned her, and this angered him further. To provoke a response, he pushed her onto the bed and slapped her with both hands.
As he slapped her, he repeatedly asked: “Why do you have to make me do this?” When the victim started to cry, he responded that she was finally showing her emotions.
He told her: “You like to do this to people and especially me, so this is what you asked for.”
He then sexually assaulted and raped the victim.
After the rape, he spoke to the victim about their relationship and how they should get back together, and said that what happened was “for her own good”.
The woman responded with answers she believed would placate him.
She made up an excuse that she had to meet her friend, and this time he did not stop her from leaving. At about 4.30am, they left her home.
The woman initially did not want to report the matter, but the man turned up unannounced at her home again on Oct 15, 2021. The victim made a police report the next day.
When investigators questioned the man about the rape, he said that the victim had “aggravated” and “caused” him to do it.
He also said that he wanted her to “learn to speak up” and that he had intended to “educate her to … just talk” through his actions.
The woman’s family has not been told about the sexual assault as she fears they will judge her and blame her for allowing it to happen. She also fears being thrown out of her home and becoming homeless, prosecutors said.
After the rape, she was unable to speak or verbalise her emotions for more than a year, feeling a “blockage” whenever she tried to do so.
She was also paralysed with fear whenever she saw someone who resembled the offender in public.
When on bail during investigations, the man also bought pliers to remove his electronic tag so that he could spend time with friends after his curfew. This constituted an offence of mischief.
HE INFLICTED “SPECIAL TRAUMA” ON VICTIM
In sentencing arguments, Deputy Public Prosecutors Nicholas Khoo and Yeow Xuan described the offender as a “violent abuser and despicable rapist”.
“In a show of vindictiveness, the accused raped the victim not only to physically violate her, but to assert his dominance and psychologically punish her with a view to leaving permanent scars forever on her psyche,” they said.
During and after the rape, the offender repeatedly gaslighted the victim into thinking it was her own fault.
“Unfortunately, the accused succeeded – the victim was traumatised to the extent of being paralysed in public for fear of the accused and she was unable to verbalise her emotions for over a year,” they said.
This “deplorable” mindset culminated in the offender performing an act that further degraded and caused more suffering to the victim during the rape, said the prosecutors.
They argued that this amounted to special trauma that he deliberately inflicted on the victim, which warranted a heavier sentence.
The prosecution asked for nine years and three weeks to 10 years and six weeks in jail, and at least nine strokes of the cane.
Defence lawyers Mr Josephus Tan and Mr Cory Wong of Invictus Law said their client disavowed anything he had previously said that was suggestive of victim-blaming.
“He is here to sincerely face the consequences for his actions and he carries with him today no such aforesaid intention to push any blame to anyone but himself,” they said.
They argued that the offences were not premeditated but committed in the heat of the moment, when the man was in a highly turbulent emotional state.
The defence also accepted that the man deliberately inflicted special trauma on the victim, but argued that this was to a limited extent.
They asked for not more than nine years’ jail and eight to nine strokes of the cane for the rape offence, running consecutively with not more than a week’s jail or a fine for the mischief offence.
