In a court ruling on January 22, a 20-year-old youth involved in the rape of his schoolmate at Admiralty Park was sentenced to undergo reformative training for at least a year, according to The Straits Times.
The incident, which transpired in June 2020, took a unique turn during legal proceedings, sparking debates over sentencing and accountability.
The accused pleaded guilty to the rape charge on October 17, 2023, in the High Court. Subsequently, a report was commissioned to assess the suitability of reformative training for the youth, a regimen designed for the rehabilitation of young offenders through specialized programs.
Gets Reformative Training, Prosecution Wanted Jail Term
Deputy Public Prosecutor Yvonne Poon presented the findings to the court, indicating that the youth was deemed suitable for reformative training. However, despite this recommendation, DPP Poon advocated for a more traditional sentence, proposing a jail term ranging between eight to ten years and six to eight strokes of the cane.
The controversy escalated as it was revealed that the youth, in the reformative training report, sought to minimize his responsibility by placing blame not only on the co-accused but also on the victim. He claimed to have been “forced” by the older and physically larger co-accused to commit the rape, further alleging that the victim had enjoyed the act.
Lawful Life
Justice Pang Khang Chau, presiding over the case, expressed that rehabilitation remained the primary sentencing consideration.
He argued that while rape is a serious offense, the overall severity in this case did not reach the extreme high end. Noting the absence of premeditation, the judge emphasized that the rape resulted from instigation by the victim’s boyfriend.
The judge acknowledged “certain defects” in the youth’s attitude and thinking, as outlined in the report, indicating a need for rehabilitation. Addressing the young man directly, Justice Pang reminded him that this was his last chance and urged him to lead a lawful life upon release.
The co-accused, facing charges related to abetting the rape and assault, is undergoing separate legal proceedings. The outcome of these proceedings will shed light on the complexities surrounding the Admiralty Park rape case, where the intersection of blame-shifting and rehabilitation takes center stage.
Sequence of Events
The incident occurred on June 27, 2020, the then-14-year-old victim’s then-22-year-old boyfriend had threatened to find other girls if she refused to drink alcohol with him, and the victim then relented.
The couple then got a bottle of whiskey and proceed to Admiralty Park, where they drank the alcohol at a playground and live-streamed it on social media.
The then-16-year-old accused saw the live stream on Instagram and messaged the victim, asking if her could join them because he just had an argument with his own girlfriend, who was also the victim’s best friend.
The victim agreed and when the accused reached the playground, half the bottle of whiskey had already been finished by the couple.
The group then finished the remaining alcohol and the victim then vomited and laid down on the ground, before her boyfriend asked her to wash up at the toilet nearby.
However, the girl couldn’t walk properly as she was too inebriated, so the accused then tried to bring the girl to the toilet on his e-bike, but she fell off it while on the way.
The accused and co-accused then resorted to physically carrying the girl into a handicapped toilet and placed her on the floor.
The trio were inside the toilet when the victim heard the door locked, as her boyfriend then helped her take off her shirt and jacket.
The boyfriend then performed an obscene act on the girl as the accused held the jacket over her face. The boyfriend then told her to lie down, as the accused then held the jacket over her face once again, while she cried and struggled.
The boyfriend then proceeded to hold the victim down as the accused raped her, before removing the jacket and telling her to clean herself up while the accused waited outside.
The victim then questioned her boyfriend and asked him why he didn’t try to save her, and he instead blamed her to having intercourse with the accused, and an argument ensues.
They eventually broke up later that year, in September.
The accused who raped the girl, was eventually found out after he began serving his reformative training for separate theft offences.
The victim also told her teacher on 17 February 2021 about her rape, and the school alerted the girl’s mother, who then reported the incident to the police on 23 February.