Man with mental illness jailed, caned after he molests cleaner
A man with a history of schizophrenia walked into Hotel Jen in Orchard Road and molested a cleaner.
Yesterday, Mohamad Azman Sarip, 39, was sentenced to 2½ years' jail and one stroke of the cane after pleading guilty to one count of molestation.
On Oct 1, 2016, the woman, 33, was cleaning a room on the 17th storey of the hotel at 5pm when she saw Azman in the corridor.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mark Yeo said: "Thinking that he was a hotel guest, she greeted the accused and offered to help him locate his room. However, the accused did not respond to her. The victim then continued with her cleaning duties."
Suddenly, Azman walked towards the woman.
He then used his left hand to hug her forcefully from behind to prevent her from leaving, and molested her. The cleaner screamed for help and Azman ran away.
She alerted her housekeeping coordinator and the police were called. Officers established Azman's identity after viewing closed-circuit television footage and he was arrested.
The DPP said Azman had touched the woman's private parts and urged District Judge Eddy Tham to sentence him to three years' jail, with three strokes of the cane.
Defence lawyers Sunil Sudheesan and Diana Ngiam represented Azman pro bono.
Yesterday, Mr Sudheesan asked the judge to give Azman the mandatory minimum sentence of two years' jail, with one stroke of the cane. He urged the judge to be merciful, adding Azman, who was an odd-job worker, had a history of mental illness and was in remission when he committed the offence.
After the sentencing, the lawyer said he would write to the prison authorities so that they can assess if Azman is mentally fit for caning.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, Hotel Jen said it takes the security and safety of its guests and staff seriously.
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