Man rapes maid twice while wife and kids are away for holiday

By Selina Lum
The Straits Times
Nov 14, 2016

A 45-year-old man who raped his domestic worker from Myanmar twice in a period of six hours at his Pasir Ris flat was on Monday (Nov 14) sentenced to 13 years' jail and 20 strokes.

The Malaysian alcohol distributor, who is a Singapore permanent resident, is appealing against his conviction and was released on bail of $70,000.

He is not named as the court has barred the publication of information leading to the identification of the 35-year-old victim.

The man was charged with two counts of raping his domestic worker, at 2.40am and 7am on Dec 20, 2013, while his wife and two children were in Hong Kong for a holiday.

The prosecution's case is that after a night of drinking with friends, the accused returned home in the early hours, called for the maid and then pulled her from the living room to his bedroom, where he raped her.

Later that morning, after a few hours' sleep, he pulled the maid, who was washing clothes in the kitchen, into his bedroom and once again raped her.

The accused, who pleaded not guilty to both charges, contends that he had consensual sex with the maid.

He is now divorced from his wife.

In September (16), after a seven-day trial, the High Court judge Chan Seng Onn found that the maid did not consent to having sex with the accused.

On Monday, the prosecution sought a sentence of 15 years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane, arguing that "the victim was forced to undergo the full gamut of emotional turmoil and trauma... not once but twice".

The man's lawyer, Mr Sunil Sudheesan, argued that his client's conviction represented a "marked departure" from his usual character. He asked for 11 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane.

In sentencing the accused, Justice Chan said his actions were "reprehensible".