Delivery driver molested jogger after watching porn in van
SINGAPORE — A 60-year-old delivery driver who was watching a pornographic video in his parked van saw a female jogger and was aroused, a court heard on Tuesday (11 August).
Kannan Sukumaran alighted from his vehicle, approached the 36-year-old victim, grabbed her across her chest from behind and squeezed her breast.
When the victim tried to resist the perpetrator, he punched her in the chest. And as she lay on the ground, he told her that he wanted to have sex with her.
Another female jogger came to the victim’s aid after hearing her cries for help and Kannan fled the scene. But the Good Samaritan had a good look at his licence plate number and called the police, who arrested him at his home four hours later.
At the State Courts on Tuesday, Kannan was jailed for four years and three months. He pleaded guilty to one charge of aggravated molestation.
Culprit watched porn in parked van
Kannan was a delivery driver and assigned to drive a company van. On 12 May, just over a month into the circuit breaker measures imposed to control the spread Covid-19, Kannan parked his van along Yishun Avenue 1.
“Based on the in-vehicle camera audio footage of the van, the accused had been watching a pornographic video while the van was parked,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Kor Zhen Hong.
“While watching the pornographic video, the accused spotted the victim, who had been jogging alone along the pavement beside the main road...The accused was further aroused by the sight of the victim, and he decided to approach the victim,” the prosecutor added.
At about 7.30pm, Kannan alighted from the van and used his right arm to grab the victim across her chest from behind.
While his arm was wrapped around her chest, he used his right hand to squeeze the victim’s left breast.
Put victim in fear of being raped
Kannan then tried to push the victim into the direction of the bushes on the left side of the pavement. When she tried to resist him, he punched her in the left side of her chest once.
The victim then fell to the ground and had a cut to her left elbow which bled. But the culprit was undeterred.
Said DPP Kor, “The accused proceeded to tell her: “I want to f*** you”, which caused the victim significant alarm as she was put in fear of being raped. In terror, the victim tried to kick the accused away and also started shouting for help.”
A 39-year-old woman was was jogging in the area heard the victim’s cries for help and Kannan fled in his van when he saw the Good Samaritan coming over.
For his crime, Kannan could have been jailed for up to 10 years.
The punishment for aggravated molestation includes mandatory caning for male offenders below 50.
Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore
Other Singapore stories:
Ship repair firm fined $300,000, assistant supervisor jailed 12 weeks over diver's death
COVID-19: Singapore confirms 61 new cases, two in the community
Lawyer Jeffrey Ong faces 4 more CBT charges involving $11.7 million
Man who claimed trial to murdering father, 75, was likely of unsound mind during act
Joseph Schooling, Quah Zheng Wen granted extensions to NS deferment for 2021 Tokyo Games
‘I do not admit guilt’: Li Shengwu to pay $15,000 fine for ‘peace and quiet’
