12 years jail and 12 strokes of the cane for raping teenager

A High Court judge on Thursday sentenced a man who raped a teenager in the back of a lorry to 12 years jail and 12 strokes of the cane. 

The 40 year old had been convicted in August this year of the rape, which happened in 2010 when the girl was only 13 years old. 

He had got the girl's 17-year-old ex-boyfriend, who was also his neighbour, to invite her for drinks. 

The accused then drove the three of them to Kranji, where the girl was plied with orange juice and vodka. 

The girl then became intoxicated and drowsy. 

When her ex-boyfriend fell asleep, the man raped her. 

The boy also had sex with her when he woke up. 

He too was found guilty by a district court, and sent to Reformative Training late last year. 

In court on Thursday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Adrian Loo said that the accused should receive a severe sentence because of a number of aggravating factors. 

First, that she was a child at the time of the rape, and that the accused was almost three times her age. 

He was aware of her youth because she was wearing her school uniform at the time of the incident. 

Second, that his act was premeditated. 

Mr Loo said that the man had got the girl's ex-boyfriend to invite her for drinks, knowing she had no reason to reject the invitation. 

Third, he had degraded the victim. 

He had given her $5 and left her sleeping in the back of the truck when she could not get up. 

Fourth, the man had not shown remorse for his actions. 

He had claimed trial and did not spare the victim the agony of reliving the trauma. 

In fact, prosecutors had difficulty getting her to agree to take the stand. 

During that trial, the accused represented himself - and maintained that he was either at home or at a neighbour's home at the time of the rape. 

However, his 18-year-old son and 65-year-old neighbour that he called on to testify were unable to give credible evidence to support this. 

Forensic evidence also revealed that semen found on the girl's clothing belonged to the accused . 

In delivering the sentence for rape, Justice Choo Han Teck also sentenced the man to two months jail for driving the lorry without possessing a valid driving license. 

The sentences will run concurrently. 

The accused has 16 other charges, that include traffic of fences and sexual assault, which the prosecution will apply to have sent back to the district court to be handled there. 

His lawyer Mr Gopinath Pillai, who was assigned by the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, said the man is likely to appeal his conviction and sentence. 

None of his family members were in court.