Man who raped 13-year-old girl while on the run gets jail but spared caning
Source: Straits Times
Article Date: 24 Aug 2024
Author: Selina Lum
The judge spared him caning on account of his mild intellectual disability, although prosecutors had sought six strokes of the cane.
A young man who raped a 13-year-old girl while on the run from the authorities has been sentenced to more than nine years’ jail but spared the cane on account of his mild intellectual disability.
Seven months after Faizal Fairuz Muhammad Nassir was released on supervision from reformative training for committing rape, he cut his electronic tag and became uncontactable.
While he was on the run, he and a friend raped a 13-year-old girl they befriended on an online chat platform.
On Aug 23, Faizal, who is now 24 years old, was sentenced to a jail term of nine years and eight months for the offences he committed in 2022.
He pleaded guilty to one charge of statutory rape, one charge of mischief for cutting his e-tag, and one charge for acting as a money mule.
High Court Judge Dedar Singh Gill spared him caning on account of Faizal’s mild intellectual disability, although prosecutors had sought six strokes of the cane.
Another four charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Faizal was a teenager when he was sentenced to reformative training on Sept 19, 2018, for rape and sexual assault of a victim.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Wong Shiau Yin told the court that Faizal was placed on a supervision scheme on Sept 15, 2021, and made to wear an electronic monitoring tag.
He was due to complete his sentence on Sept 18, 2022.
But on April 29, 2022, he cut off the tag with a pair of scissors because he wanted to “live his own life”.
He remained uncontactable, despite multiple attempts made by his family and reintegration officers to reach him.
In the early morning of July 17, 2022, the 13-year-old girl got to know Faizal, his friend, and Faizal’s younger brother on a video chat platform known as Omegle.
After a conversation on Omegle and a meeting in person in Ang Mo Kio, the girl was persuaded to go with the trio to the home of Faizal’s friend.
At the flat, Faizal raped the girl while his friend pinned her arms down. The friend then raped her.
The girl made a police report at about 11.20am, and Faizal was arrested on the same day.
The friend, who is now 18 years old, has been sentenced to reformative training.
Separately, on July 6, 2022, a scam victim made a police report that she had transferred $24,000 to a bank account which turned out to be Faizal’s.
Investigations revealed that his bank account received more than $75,000 over 23 occasions in June 2022.
Faizal was unable to explain the transactions, said the prosecutor.
Source: Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.
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