He moved from victim-blaming to door-blaming: Then-PhD student in S'pore who attempted to rape ex-housemate blames door for actions

A 32-year-old man who was a PhD student in Singapore appealed against his sentence on May 12, 2026, after he had attempted to rape his former housemate in 2023.

CNA reported that Gao Xiong suggested he wanted a re-trial as he claimed to have been in a "state of confusion" when he previously pleaded guilty to four charges, which included attempted rape and criminal trespass.

An earlier report mentioned that the Chinese national had been sentenced in December 2025 to six years, six months and six weeks in jail, as well as three strokes of the cane.

Three other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Court of Appeal hearing

Deputy Public Prosecutor Yang Ziliang, during the May 12, 2026 appeal, said Gao had "moved from victim-blaming to what we last heard door-blaming".

Yang also asked for Gao's sentence to be enhanced and said he had taken no responsibility for his actions, CNA reported.

According to CNA, Gao's appeal was heard at the Court of Appeal by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Justices Tay Yong Kwang and Hri Kumar Nair.

Gao, who spoke through a Mandarin interpreter, said that the facts of the case read out to him in court did not reflect what actually happened and accepted them then, citing "personal reasons".

Repeatedly rejected by victim

Based on court documents and submissions seen by Mothership, Gao and the victim, then 21, were housemates until Gao moved out in August 2023.

The victim cannot be named due to a gag order protecting her identity.

Two months after moving out, in October 2023, Gao began to pursue the woman romantically.

He texted and asked her out repeatedly, despite her rejecting him multiple times and asking him to stop bothering her.

He also went back to the unit on several occasions to look for her, and the continued harassment prompted the woman to stay with her friend for a few days.

Attempted rape

In October 2023, Gao returned to the unit and was let in by another tenant.

Gao approached the woman's room and claimed that he had left his bank card behind, and also wanted to apologise for the messages he had sent her the night before.

However, the woman rejected his apology and told him that she would call the police on him.

This left Gao feeling "frustrated and sensitive", and he forced his way into the woman's room before molesting her and attempting to rape her.

He later admitted that the reasons for his actions were wanting to have sex with the woman, humiliate her and also "release a bit of anger".

Upon hearing the woman's screams, another tenant intervened and dragged Gao away.

Gao remained in the unit, and the woman eventually got one of her housemates to call the police.

A medical examination later found scratches and bruises on her body.

Following his arrest, Gao was referred for psychiatric evaluation and was found to have no psychiatric disorder or illness.

Judges respond

According to CNA, Gao said that he wanted to argue his case according to his own account of what happened, after which Chief Justice Menon asked Gao to clarify if he was challenging his guilty plea, and reminded Gao that he admitted to the facts read out to him when he pleaded guilty.

Gao responded that he did not fully understand the facts that were read to him, CNA reported, adding that Gao later said they did not reflect what had transpired and claimed he was not given the chance to express his views after pleading guilty.

Gao also claimed to have spoken to the victim every day for about two months before the incident, which Gao felt "would not have caused her monumental personal harm", as he claimed she was cheerful and open, with an "amiable" status between them.

Gao taken no responsibility for actions: DPP

According to CNA, Gao suggested the housemate who intervened "enhanced the severity" of the issue and interrupted his apology to the victim. When it was put to him that the housemate prevented Gao from raping her, Gao insisted the housemate did not know what was happening.

Gao also claimed that the victim's door "caused certain behaviours", where he pulled it with no intention to harm her directly.

CNA reported that Chief Justice Menon then asked: "Is he now saying the door made him do it?" and Gao responded with a "yes", and said there was "such a feeling".

Noting that there was a high threshold to be passed before a guilty plea is retracted, the Chief Justice noted that Gao did not come close to meeting this bar.

The appeal court will give its decision at a later date, CNA reported.