Jurong West grocery store owner, 58, allegedly raped girl, 11, who went to his shop to buy ice cream

An 11-year-old girl was allegedly molested and raped by a Jurong West provision shop owner after she went to the shop to buy ice cream.

Ramalingam Selvasekaran, 58, was arrested and now faces charges of molest and rape, Lianhe Zaobao reported.

Rape allegedly occurred in the store

Ramalingam pleaded not guilty to his charges.

At his trial in the High Court on Jan. 16, the prosecution revealed that the alleged assault occurred on the afternoon of Oct. 28, 2021.

The prosecution said the victim, then 11 years old, went to the grocery store after school, and Ramalingam offered her a free drink.

The victim returned home after but craved ice cream and went back to the grocery store with cash to buy some.

It was during this visit that Ramalingam allegedly molested and raped the victim.

After the girl left the store, she asked a passerby for help and to call the police.

The passerby then stayed by her side til the police arrived.

There, the police questioned the girl and Ramalingam and took CCTV footage from the grocery store as evidence.

Accused disputes statement

According to the prosecution, Ramalingam allegedly admitted to his offences during investigations but disputed the contents of his statements during the trial.

Medical reports also showed that Ramalingam did not suffer from any mental illness, though he had mild erectile dysfunction.

The trial is ongoing. According to Shin Min Daily News, the prosecution has lined up 26 witnesses. Ramalingam is unrepresented.

A person found guilty of raping a minor below 14 years old may be punished with imprisonment between eight to 20 years, as well as a maximum of 12 strokes of the cane.

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