Unicaus NEWS
Sentenced by the Singapore High Court, Ramalingam Selvasekaran, 58, won’t be caned, as he’s over 50. However, his sentence of 14 years, three months and two weeks consists of further jail time in lieu of 15 strokes of the cane, reported The Straits Times.
He was discovered responsible on July 7 of all three costs — one depend of rape and two counts of concern of modesty — after a trial during which he represented himself.
During sentencing arguments on July 30, Ramalingam maintained his innocence and stated he could be interesting in opposition to his conviction.
After he was sentenced and granted bail of SGD80,000 pending enchantment, he bargained with the Judge concerning his bail situations.
Justice Aidan Xu rejected Ramalingam’s requests to take away his digital tag (normally connected to the leg to trace a convicted particular person motion) and forgo common check-ins on the Police Cantonment Complex.
Ramalingam additionally objected to Deputy Public Prosecutor Susanna Yim’s proposal to return to the woman SGD8 in money whereas the courtroom was figuring out the destiny of varied trial displays.
“The SGD8 was taken from my store,” he stated. The choose instructed the prosecution to look into the matter.
The offences happened between about 4.50 pm and about 5.05 pm on October 28, 2021, at his provision retailer in Jurong West on the west coast of Singapore. The woman visited his retailer and returned later that day to purchase ice cream.
Ramalingam, who was 55 years previous then, was accused by the prosecution of main the woman to the internal confines of his store to the touch her and make her carry out oral intercourse on him.
Following the assaults, the woman sought assist from a passerby, who known as the police.
At the top of the trial, which started on January 16, Ramalingam argued that the woman’s testimony shouldn’t be believed.
He stated it was unbelievable that she would have gone to a stranger for assist when she might have gone to somebody she knew.
He argued that it was suspicious that there was no police digicam footage of her returning to her dwelling after the incident.
He added that he couldn’t have raped the sufferer as he was affected by erectile dysfunction, and famous that his DNA was not discovered on her physique.
In convicting Ramalingam on July 7, Justice Xu stated the prosecution’s case had been established past an inexpensive doubt.
The choose discovered no important weaknesses within the woman’s recounting of occasions.
“The fact that she had not run off after the first act of molest, or that she did not resist the assaults, or inform her grandfather, were all to my mind sufficiently explained, particularly given that she was still young and immature,” the Singapore day by day quoted the choose as saying.
Justice Xu identified that in Ramalingam’s earlier statements to the police, he said he had hugged and kissed the sufferer and that she had carried out oral intercourse on him.
Ramalingam’s later statements denying the fee of the offences have been merely an try and resile from what he had admitted, the choose stated.
Justice Xu stated the absence of digicam footage didn’t undermine her proof.
While there was no dispute that Ramalingam suffered from erectile dysfunction, the choose stated the prosecution’s skilled witness gave a cogent clarification that oral rape remained attainable.
The absence of Ramalingam’s DNA on the sufferer was at most impartial and didn’t undermine the woman’s proof that she had been sexually assaulted, stated the choose.
Published – July 31, 2025 07:27 am IST
