A 20-year-old Indian-origin man, Sree Kanth Murugan, has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 34-year-old maintenance worker from India, whose identity is protected under a court order.
Sree, who works in the hospitality industry, admitted to sexually violating the worker, who was sleeping on the void deck of a housing block where Sree resided. After committing the offense, Sree fled the scene when the victim woke up.
In addition to the charge of sexual assault, another charge of molestation will be taken into consideration for sentencing Sree.
The District Judge Carol Ling has called for probation and reformative training suitability reports before delivering the judgment on May 9. The Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Ho May Kim argued against probation, stating that it would not be a realistic option considering the severity of the offense, and advocated for reformative training as a more effective rehabilitative measure.
On the other hand, Sree's defense lawyer, Asoka Markandu, requested a probation suitability report, expressing concerns about sending his client for reformative training. He argued that Sree needed guidance and that probation would be more appropriate.
The incident occurred on October 27 last year when the victim fell asleep at a void deck after chatting and drinking with his relative. Sree arrived later and assaulted the victim while he was sleeping, before fleeing the scene.
District Judge Ling agreed with both the prosecution and defense that rehabilitation should be the primary consideration for sentencing and ordered suitability reports for both probation and reformative training.
Sexual assault involving penetration carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years' imprisonment, along with caning or fines.
