Woman had nightmares, panic attacks after her male friend tried to rape her when she was drunk

Shaffiq Alkhatib
The Straits Times
January 15, 2024

A man took his platonic female friend to his home after a drinking session and tried but failed to rape the intoxicated woman, who managed to resist his advances.

The 39-year-old Filipino offender, who cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the victim’s identity, pleaded guilty on Jan 15 to an attempted rape charge.

Two molestation charges involving the same woman, a Filipina, will be considered during sentencing.

On April 1, 2019, the man, the victim and two other people went to 1-Altitude bar in Raffles Place, where they consumed copious amounts of alcohol.

The victim became very drunk and started throwing up.

The group left the nightspot at around 1am the next day, and the offender helped her to a nearby taxi stand. The pair later boarded the same taxi, sitting in the rear.

The vehicle was travelling to the man’s home when he pulled her towards him so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. He then molested the victim by performing acts such as groping her.

Deputy Public Prosecutors Muhamad Imaduddien and Emily Koh stated in court documents that the victim was drifting in and out of consciousness at the time.

Upon arrival at their destination, the man helped the woman out of the taxi and took her to his apartment. He then helped her lie down on a bed and rested beside her after she fell asleep.

The DPPs said he molested her again between 3am and 5am that day, adding: “The victim felt weak when she woke up and tried to turn away from the accused, but the accused managed to pull down (her top).”

The man undressed the victim and tried but failed to rape her as she managed to keep her legs crossed.

Her boyfriend turned up at the unit soon after and took the woman back to her own home.

The woman confided in her close friends after the incident.

She also sought help from advocacy organisation Association of Women for Action and Research as she was having nightmares and panic attacks following her ordeal.

The victim attended a counselling session on May 14, 2019, and lodged a police report 13 days later. She continued attending counselling sessions till July 2019, but stopped due to her work schedule.

On Jan 15, the prosecution asked the court to sentence the offender to five years’ jail and six strokes of the cane.

They said: “The victim was forced to suffer both the trauma of discovering that someone, whom she trusted and regarded as a friend, had attempted to violate her while she was intoxicated and vulnerable.

“He flagrantly abused the victim’s friendship trust by sexually violating her at every step of the way. The emotional pain and trauma suffered by the victim as a consequence of the accused’s betrayal of her trust cannot be understated.”

The offender is represented by Mr Raphael Louis from Ray Louis Corporation. The lawyer pleaded for his client to be given three years and six months’ jail with no caning.

Mr Louis also told the court that his client had shown genuine remorse and had not exploited the friendship.

The offender is expected to be sentenced on Jan 18.