Rapist threatened to kill jogger if she screamed
Helpless and pinned to the ground in a deserted park, she begged him to let her go.
But her pleas fell on deaf ears.
Steelwork supervisor Sinnathamby Ramiah, 41, threatened to kill her if she dared to scream.
Fearing for her life, the 47-year-old manager stopped resisting and he raped her.
Sinnathamby was jailed for 15 years and ordered to receive the maximum 24 strokes of the cane yesterday after pleading guilty to molesting the woman, raping her and robbing her of her iPhone worth $378 in August 2013.
Two counts of insulting the modesty of a teenager, also in 2013, were taken into consideration.
Without the girl's consent, he had recorded a video of her taking a bath in the bathroom of a flat in the western part of Singapore.
In the rape case, the court heard that the 47-year-old victim was jogging in Bukit Batok Neighbourhood Park at about 9pm on Aug 4, 2013, when Sinnathamby spotted her while sitting on a sit-up bench in the fitness corner.
The Malaysian, who lives at nearby Block 215, had gone to the park with two cans of beer.
He also had with him a bag containing some cable ties and a roll of masking tape as he wanted to repair the canvas cover of his motorcycle.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Yvonne Poon said Sinnathamby found the woman attractive and became sexually aroused.
"(He) moved to various locations in the park as he continued watching (her) under the guise of doing stretching exercises for his legs," she added.
As the woman was running past him, Sinnathamby suddenly grabbed her from behind and pulled her backwards.
He also threw a loop of two cable ties over her head and across her torso to restrain her.
He then dragged her off the running track and warned her not to scream or he would kill her.
Sinnathamby continued pulling the victim until they got to a secluded area.
He flung her onto the ground and pinned her down.
BEGGED
The terrified woman begged him to release her so that she could return home to her daughter.
"(He) merely told her not to shout and said that it would be over very fast," said DPP Poon.
Sinnathamby also tried to cover the woman's mouth with masking tape.
But the woman begged him not to do it and promised she would remain silent as she feared that she would suffocate if he did so.
He then proceeded to sexually assault her.
When the attack ended, he pried her mobile phone from her hand and fled the scene.
The woman managed to stumble home and told her daughter about her ordeal.The daughter called the police and the mother went to Jurong Police Division Headquarters at around 10.20pm to lodge a report.
The court heard that the woman had washed herself when she got home as she felt disgusted, but had preserved the panty liner she had worn and her running shorts to assist the police in investigations.
Police established Sinnathamby's identity when he tried to access the woman's iPhone 4G several days later and they arrested him on Sept 10, 2013.
Pressing for at least 14 years' jail with 24 strokes of the cane, DPP Winston Man said: "To commit property offences in such a public setting is in itself deplorable, but to also subject the victim to the indignity of molest and rape is simply heinous."
Quoting the woman's victim impact statement, he added that now, she does not dare to walk alone at night and feels scared in places that are not well lit.
She had written: "I also feel scared when I wait for the lift... as I am scared that someone would attack me from the back.
"Sometimes I would have nightmares about someone grabbing and attacking me."
In his mitigation, Sinnathamby, who was not represented by a lawyer, told Justice Woo Bih Li that he is remorseful and wished to apologise to the woman.
For aggravated rape, on top of caning, he could have been jailed up to 20 years.
"(He) merely told her not to shout and said that it would be over very fast."
-Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Yvonne Poon, on Sinnathamby Ramiah's response to the victim's begging
Jogging at night? Don't do it alone
BE SAFE: Experts advise woman joggers to have a companion if jogging at night. - TNP PHOTO: JEREMY LONG
For their own safety, women who jog in parks at night should try to avoid doing so alone.
Lawyer and former policeman Luke Lee said they should jog with at least one or more companions as there is safety in numbers.
Mr Lee, who used to be an investigator specialising in rape cases, added: "Singapore's parks are generally safe. But to be safer, women should stick to well-lit areas and avoid the dark corners."
Gender equality advocacy group Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) stressed that sexual assault or rape is never the responsibility of the victim.
It said: "Sexual assault is always the fault of the rapist, no matter what the victim was wearing, how she was behaving, how much she had to drink or her sexual history."
It also said that most cases of sexual assault are committed, not by strangers, but by people known to the victim such as boyfriends, husbands, co-workers or friends.
What should women do if they are raped?
Former policeman Davy Chan, 67, said they should inform the police immediately after the assault.
The Police Gallantry Medal winner, who is now a security consultant, added: "They mustn't change their clothes or take a shower.
"Doing so can wash away important evidence like body fluids that can help the authorities with their investigations to nab the attacker."
NUMBER OF RAPE CASES UP
The number of rape cases in the first six months of last year went up compared to the same period in 2013.
The police attribute this increase to a rise in the number of statutory rape cases involving girls below 14 years old who had consensual sex.
91 Number of reported rape cases (including statutory rape) from January to June 2014, up from 61 in the same period in 2013
40 Number of statutory rape cases from January to June 2014, up from 23 in the same period in 2013
51 Number of non-statutory rape cases from January to June 2014, up from 38 in the same period in 2013
Information from the Singapore Police Force
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