SINGAPORE, Feb 28 – A Singaporean man who was sentenced to 13 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane for raping his co-conspirator’s wife has reportedly lost his appeal against both his conviction and sentence.
CNA reported that the Court of Appeal here dismissed his case, ruling that his conviction was sound and his sentence, handed down in January last year, was appropriate.
The man, known only as O, was among seven men who were convicted for being members of a ring who sexually assaulting drugged wives. All other members had pleaded guilty, while O was the only one to stand trial.
O claimed he had visited the victim’s home out of curiosity and to resolve matters with her husband, but the judges questioned why he would do so if he feared the man’s martial arts background.
His lawyer, Chenthil Kumarasingam, argued that the victim’s husband had framed O after learning of the affair in prison, but the judges found it implausible given the short timeframe between his arrest and interview.
The defence also suggested that a sexually explicit text exchange between O and the victim’s husband was a mere fantasy, but Chief Justice Menon rejected this, stating it did not appear fictional.
Another argument that discrepancies in offence dates undermined the conviction was dismissed by the court, which noted that guilty pleas in related cases did not require the same level of scrutiny.
Following the failed appeal, O requested a deferral of his sentence to arrange transportation for his children’s schooling and tuition, as well as to manage his father’s medical care.
