CEO who sexually assaulted son's classmate gets 14 years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane

Authored by straitstimes.com and submitted by SYLOH

SINGAPORE - A 48-year-old chief executive found guilty of sexually assaulting his son's nine-year-old classmate during a sleepover in 2015 was sentenced to 14 years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane on Friday (Aug 31).

The foreign national, who has been remanded in prison since Aug 6 after his bail was revoked, came to court in a neck brace.

His lawyer, Mr Selva K. Naidu, sought bail after sentencing was passed, saying his client intended to appeal.

He detailed how his client had faced considerable physical hardship in prison because of his existing spinal condition. The accused had fallen off an elephant in 2011.

Mr Naidu said that on the day the man was taken into custody, he was unable to climb up the prison van and had to be lifted onto the van, which caused a strain on his back.

In prison, the man was handcuffed to his bed to prevent him from falling off, but the cuffs were later removed as it exacerbated his condition.

On Aug 10, the day he was originally due to be sentenced, his blood pressure went up and he had to be taken to Changi General Hospital on a stretcher, the lawyer said.

Mr Naidu added that his client was prepared to rent a room at a hotel near the Police Cantonment Complex so that he can report to the police daily.

However, Justice See Kee Oon denied the request for bail.

Related Story Chief executive awaiting verdict for sexual assault against boy, faces new charges against another younger boy

In sentencing on Friday, the judge said he was unable to discern any relevant mitigating factors. He said he was not persuaded by defence arguments for concurrent sentences, as the offences were part of a single transaction.

The man, who has three sons, was convicted of committing two counts of sexual assault by penetration of a minor and one count of aggravated molestation.

He cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the identity of the boy, who is now 12.

On Oct 31, 2015, the man and his wife threw a Halloween party at his house.

The male victim, a friend of the youngest son, had a sleepover after the party.

The boy slept on the upper deck of a bunk bed while the son slept on the lower deck.

The victim testified that he pretended to be asleep when the accused entered the room at night, stepped on the lower bunk and touched his genitals.

After the man left and re-entered the room, performing oral sex on him twice, the boy decided to pack his belongings and ask to leave.

When his father came to pick him up, the boy told him what the accused had done to him. A police report was made the next day.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Raja Mohan said the accused's acts had left psychological scars on the victim.

During the trial, the boy's mother testified that all the doors in their home would be closed as her son was afraid that the man would take revenge on them.

She said he repeatedly asked: "Why did God choose me to go through that? You know, it's really unfair."

The 31st day of the month also became a "sensitive date" for the boy, she said.

A year after the offences, she thought things were fine when her son invited three friends over for a Halloween party. However, the boy broke down and cried for three hours, she said.

RaspberryBliss on August 31st, 2018 at 20:33 UTC »

A Caning In Singapore

Singaporean law allows caning to be ordered for over 30 offences, including hostage-taking, robbery, gang robbery with murder, drug use, vandalism, and rioting. Caning is also a mandatory punishment for certain offences such as rape, drug trafficking, illegal money-lending, and for visiting foreigners who overstay their visa by more than 90 days, a measure designed to deter illegal immigrant workers.

Caning is in practice always ordered in addition to a jail sentence and never as a punishment by itself. It is administered in an enclosed area in the prison, out of view of the public and other inmates. Those present are limited to the inmate, prison wardens, medical officers, the caning officer and sometimes high-ranking prison officials to witness the punishment.

An inmate sentenced to caning receives no advance warning as to when he will be caned, and is notified only on the day his sentence is to be carried out. In the caning room, the inmate is ordered to strip naked and receives a medical examination by the prison doctor to check whether he is medically fit for caning, by measuring his blood pressure and other physical conditions. If the doctor gives the green light, the inmate then receives his caning, but if he is certified unfit for punishment, he is sent back to the court for his prison term to be increased instead. A prison official confirms with him the number of strokes he is to receive.

The inmate is then led to the A-shaped frame (called a "caning trestle") and his wrists and ankles secured tightly to the frame by strong leather straps in such a way that he assumes a bent-over position on the frame at an angle of close to 90° at the hip, with his posterior protruding. Protective padding is placed on his lower back to protect the vulnerable kidney and lower spine area from any mis-strokes so that only his buttocks are exposed to the cane. The officer administering the caning takes up position beside the frame and delivers the number of strokes specified in the sentence, at intervals of 10 to 15 seconds. He is required to put his full force into each stroke. The strokes are administered all in one caning session, unless the medical officer certifies that the inmate cannot receive any more strokes because of his condition, in which case the rest of the strokes are converted to additional prison time.

earlandir on August 31st, 2018 at 20:19 UTC »

Half the comments here seem to think that caning is like getting spanked and is ridiculing Singapore for their awful justice system and how the guy wasn't punished enough, and the other half of comments are saying that Singapore is a shit-hole with draconian laws and that this punishment is way too severe. It's very strange to read.

ChristmasStrip on August 31st, 2018 at 16:57 UTC »

The cane is brutal. Not saying they don’t deserve it, but 24 strokes will leave that dude permanently scared and laying on his stomach for at least a month.

NSFW https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3c9_1304013159