A 26-year-old man has been sentenced to 16 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane on Oct. 27, 2023, after pleading guilty to aggravated rape.

Chinnaiah Karthik, an Indian national, raped a then-university student after repeatedly punching her and dragging her to a forested area in Kranji.

Student took wrong train and ended up at Kranji

According to The Straits Times (ST) and Today, on May 4, 2019, the victim was returning to her on-campus residence from Changi when she accidentally boarded the wrong MRT train and ended up at Kranji station at about 1:00am.

The victim, who cannot be named due to a court gag order, decided to wait for a bus that would take her back to campus.

As she was on her phone arguing with her boyfriend, she decided to walk to the next bus stop to get away from others.

She was not paying attention to her surroundings and ended up walking for around 10 to 15 minutes, the court heard.

Chinnaiah, who worked as a cleaner, was at the bus stop opposite Kranji station since about 12:25am.

He followed the victim as she walked away from her bus stop and tailed her for about 15 minutes, at one point hiding behind a tree to avoid detection.

As the victim walked past a sign for the Singapore Turf Club, Chinnaiah approached her and asked if she was okay.

Told Chinnaiah to leave her alone, but he continued following her

She said she was fine and told Chinnaiah to leave her alone. But Chinnaiah grabbed her arm and pushed her down Turf Club Avenue.

He was mumbling, and the victim could not understand him, so she continued walking.

When she realised Chinnaiah was following her, she told her boyfriend, who was still on the phone. He advised her to go to an open space and flag down a taxi, but there were no such areas available.

The victim then attempted to cross the road to head back to Kranji station. When she reached the road divider, Chinnaiah caught up with her and threw a punch at her face.

The victim's boyfriend could hear her screams and the sound of the assault over the phone, but the line went dead.

The assault

Chinnaiah punched the student's face multiple times, dislodging her spectacles. He then wrapped his right arm over her neck and placed her in a headlock, making it feel like she was "unable to breathe".

He dragged her away to a forested area and raped her. Chinnaiah pinned her down with his hand around her neck. She tried to pull his hand away because she was unable to breathe, but Chinnaiah tightened his grip.

After the assault, Chinnaiah drank from her water bottle and poured the rest of the water over her body before moving off.

The student eventually managed to find her mobile phone and called her boyfriend for help.

Investigation

Police arrived at around 2:05am. She was taken to a hospital and found to have sustained injuries, including multiple scratches and bruises and strangulation marks over her neck.

When the victim's boyfriend visited, her facial injuries were so severe he was unable to recognise her.

Chinnaiah movements were traced using Land Transport Authority and police camera footage, and he was arrested following investigations at nearby dormitories and housing areas.

Forensic tests detected his DNA on the victim’s clothes and body.

Victim still suffering from emotional and psychological effects

According to ST, Chinnaiah was initially given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal on Aug. 1, 2022, and remanded at the Institute of Mental Health, following a psychiatric evaluation that he was unfit to stand trial.

However, he was reassessed, and found fit to plead in Jan. 2023.

The prosecution pointed out that four years after the incident, the victim is still suffering emotional and psychological effects, such as nightmares and flashbacks.

The victim distanced herself from her family and friends and did not tell her parents about the incident out of shame.

She also did not seek therapy or counselling as she believed it would not help her.

For aggravated rape, Chinnaiah could have been jailed for up to 20 years with a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane.

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