NSF, 24, raped deaf & mute girl, then 13, when pregnant wife left flat, gets over 12 years' jail & caning

A 24-year-old full-time national serviceman (NSF) was sentenced to 12 years and nine months' jail on Aug. 5 after he raped a deaf and mute girl, then 13, when his pregnant wife left their flat to run errands.

Charge sheets and court documents seen by Mothership stated that the man was also sentenced to 12 strokes of the cane.

He pleaded guilty to one charge each of aggravated statutory rape, with another two charges taken into consideration during sentencing.

He also pleaded guilty to going AWOL after failing to report for duty at the Civil Defence Academy on Oct. 23, 2023, and remained absent without leave until his arrest.

There is a gag order on the identity of both the accused and victim to protect the victim.

Accused knew victim

Court documents stated that the accused knew the victim as he was previously schoolmates with her older brother.

The accused's wife had a close relationship with the victim's mother.

Prior to the offences, the girl had met the accused on a few occasions together with other people.

The accused communicated with her through very basic sign language and gestures, and by typing on their phones.

At the time of his offences, the accused, then 22, lived with his wife in a two-room rental flat.

Girl stayed over at flat

On Nov. 2, 2024, the girl's mother had arranged for her to spend the night at the flat as she had to attend an event and could not bring the victim.

Court documents stated that it was the girl's first time at the flat and her first and only time sleeping over with the accused and his wife.

Sexually inappropriate acts

The next morning on Nov. 3, 2024, the accused's wife left the flat to run errands, leaving the accused and the victim alone in the flat.

Despite knowing the girl was only 13 years old, the accused beckoned her to go to the bedroom with him and asked her to have sex with him.

Though the victim communicated that she did not want to, the accused continued asking her to have sex with him by typing messages into the "Notes" application of the victim's phone.

He offered to pay her when she continued to reject him.

According to court documents, the victim continued to reject the accused's requests for sex using her facial expressions and hand gestures.

They had previously never engaged in any intimate or sexual acts.

The accused then molested the girl and pulled her towards the bed.

Girl texted accused's wife for help

Unknown to the accused, the girl secretly texted his wife for help and said he wanted to have sex with her.

He then raped the girl, who struggled and tried to escape but he restrained her by holding onto her arms.

The accused heard his wife returning to the flat and unlocking the door.

He then stopped the sexual assault and told the victim to quickly go to the toilet and wash herself.

When his wife confronted him, he lied that the girl became angry and took a knife from the kitchen.

He also claimed that he showered and went to the bedroom.

Noting that the accused's wife was pregnant and not wanting them to break up, the girl did not tell his wife what happened.

Victim's mother noticed lovebite

On the same evening, the girl's mother picked her up and drove her to another house.

There, her relatives noticed that her forearm appeared to be hurting and that there was a love bite on the her neck.

Upon being questioned, the girl showed a photo of the accused to them and conveyed that he gave her the love bite.

Her mother then called the police on Nov. 3, 2024, and they arrested him that night.

Actively refused, more vulnerable: Prosecution

The prosecution sought a jail term of at least 12 years and four months to 13 years, as well as 12 strokes of the cane.

This was supported by offence-specific aggravating factors, court documents stated.

Firstly, the victim was under 14 and did not consent.

The accused also did not wear a condom during his offences, exposing the victim to the risk of pregnancy, and the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.

CNA reported the deputy public prosecutor as saying that in this case, the victim had actively refused assent.

Being deaf and mute also makes her more vulnerable to sexual assault, the DPP added.

Defence arguments

The accused's defence lawyer sought a jail term of 10 to 10-and-a-half years, along with eight strokes of the cane.

Despite being deaf and mute, there was no evidence of the man exploiting her disability, the lawyer argued.

The girl could communicate to the accused that she did not consent, and texted his wife for help.

Justice did not consider any adjustment to sentence justified

CNA reported Justice Andre Maniam as saying that the defence's submission downplays the significance of the victim's disability.

He also did not accept that there was no evidence that the victim trusted the accused.

According to CNA, in mitigation, the accused apologised to the victim, his wife and his child, who was born when he was in remand.

He also said he attended religious counselling and is seeking to improve himself, CNA reported.

Justice Maniam said he did not consider any adjustment to the sentence justified given the circumstances.