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Man jailed, caned for sexually assaulting 5 victims aged 12 to 16

Muhammad Ashahann Hairudin, 20, pleaded guilty to four charges involving sexual offences committed against four different victims, aged between 12 and 16. (Photo: Getty)
Muhammad Ashahann Hairudin, 20, pleaded guilty to four charges involving sexual offences committed against four different victims, aged between 12 and 16. (Photo: Getty)

SINGAPORE — Barely a month after he was sentenced to probation for sexual offences against minors, a teen went on to prey on more girls, inviting them to his home and assaulting them, a court heard.

Over a period of one year, Muhammad Ashahann Hairudin abused five different victims aged between 12 and 16.

At the High Court on Monday (2 March), the recalcitrant sex offender was jailed for 12 years along with six strokes of the cane.

Ashahann, who turned 20 late last year, pleaded guilty to one charge of rape and three counts of sexual penetration of a minor.

Six other charges were considered in sentencing, including another count of rape, one count of abduction and two counts of sexual assault by penetration.

“The accused’s record in sexual offending makes for very grim reading,” said Deputy Public Prosecutors Asoka Markandu and Sheldon Lim in their submissions.

“After being sentenced to probation on 21 February 2017, the accused, instead of learning from his mistakes, took advantage of the relative freedom afforded to a probationer to continue his offending, unabated,” the prosecutors said.

“He preyed upon the naiveté of underaged minors between the ages of 12 and 16 years, invited them to his home and charmed them into having sex with him. The accused’s predatory behaviour gradually escalated, finally culminating in the rape of the final victim on 17 March 2018,” they added.

Abducted and raped victim in condo toilet

Ashahann worked as a mover and packer at a factory in Ubi after discontinuing his studies in early 2018 as he had no interest in studying, the court heard. He was then 18.

On 17 March, he invited a former schoolmate, who was 16, over to do her homework at the swimming pool in his condominium. They met and sat next to each other on a two-seater sofa at the pavilion next to the pool.

When he suddenly kissed her on the lips, the victim was startled and tried to push him away but didn’t succeed. The accused then pulled the victim down onto the sofa and he ‘French’ kissed her.

Shortly after, the culprit asked the victim to follow him and led her towards the handicap toilet near the pool. The victim stepped away from him and told him that she didn’t want to follow him.

A struggle ensued but the accused ignored the victim, who was crying, and dragged her into the toilet.

While Ashahann was opening the toilet door, the victim managed to break free from him. But the culprit again picked her up with both arms and carried her into the toilet.

Inside the toilet, the victim cried and begged Ashahann to let her go. But her cries fell on deaf ears. Ashahann pulled down the victim’s swimsuit to her waist and ordered her to fellate him against her will.

After a while, he ordered her to lie down on the floor and raped her. The victim, who was menstruating and a virgin, pleaded for him to stop.

Raped same victim a second time

A few minutes later, the culprit demanded the victim to fellate him again. “The victim cried but she complied with his instructions as she feared for her own safety,” said DPP Asoka.

Shortly after, he told her to lie down and then raped her again.

Later that day, the victim texted three of her close friends to tell them about what happened. She also confided in them that she was having suicidal thoughts. Her friends told her to calm down and advised her to make a police report.

The next day, the victim met with her three friends and they later followed her to a police station.

A government psychiatrist found that while Ashahann was of “low average intelligence”, he did not suffer from any intellectual disability. He also did not suffer from any impulse control disorder or other mental disorders.

The psychiatrist found the perpetrator to have a moderate to high risk of reoffending, with deviant sexual behaviour and a lack of victim empathy.

Sexually abused 3 victims in same month

A year earlier, on 13 March 2017, Ashahann had sex with another victim who was 15 in his home. He got to know the second victim - then a virgin - a few weeks earlier.

Sometime in March 2017, the culprit also had sex with a third victim who was also 15 in his home. The third victim was also a virgin and menstruating at the time. She declined to have sex, but he persisted and she relented.

That same month, Ashahann sexually abused another minor who was 12.

While he was having sex with the fourth victim, a younger male relative was trying to have sex with his girlfriend in the same room, the court heard. As it was the first time both were having sex, Ashahann showed them how to do it.

At one point, the perpetrator went over to penetrate his relative’s girlfriend’s private parts with his finger, the court heard. This charge was considered in sentencing.

Separately, in June 2017, Ashahann stole a $250 mobile phone. The theft charge was also considered in sentencing.

For his rape charge, Ashahann could have been jailed a maximum of 20 years, along with a fine and caning.

For each of his two statutory rape charges involving minors between the ages of 14 and 16, he could have been jailed up to 10 years along with a fine and caning.

Meanwhile, for his statutory rape charge involving a minor below 14, he could have been jailed a maximum of 20 years, along with a fine and caning.

The probation sentence he received in February 2017 was for two charges of molesting a 12-year-old girl and two counts of sexually penetrating a 14-year-old girl.

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