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Man who spiked flatmate's drink with intention of raping her jailed, caned

(PHOTO: Getty Images)
(PHOTO: Getty Images)

Intending to rape his flatmate, Annadurai Prabakaran attempted to drug her first by slipping a “sleeping pill” into her bottle of water.

Fortunately, 21-year-old Manchinella Anuhya spat out the mixture after noticing that that water inside the bottle tasted bitter.

Prabakaran, 28, had also been unaware that the two pills he bought from a roadside stall in Geylang contained Sildenafil, which is actually meant to treat erectile dysfunction.

At the State Courts on Wednesday (6 June), the private hire bus driver was sentenced to two years and 10 months’ jail along with three strokes of the cane after pleading guilty to one charge of administering a poison to Anuhya with the intent to rape her, and another charge of obstructing justice by attempting to pour away the laced water.

Victim, accused lived in same flat

Prabakaran, who has been in Singapore on an S-Pass for the past seven-and-a-half years, is a tenant in the woman’s flat, which she shares with her uncle and his family. Both the accused and the victim are Indian nationals.

According to the prosecution, Prabakaran began having thoughts of having sex with Anuhya on 8 December last year. He did not believe she would consent to sex as the two had not spoken to one another before.

“He thus planned to drug her and have sexual intercourse with her while she was asleep,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Rachel Tan.

The next day, Prabakaran took a bus to Geylang where he visited a makeshift roadside stall and asked its owner if he sold sleeping pills. He bought two pills for $2, one to test and the other to give to Anuhya.

Later that night, he tested one pill and found that it successfully dissolved into water without colouring it. “(Prabakaran) then waited for an opportune moment to administer the remaining pill to (Anuhya),” said the DPP.

The moment came on 12 December last year after Prabakaran returned home after work at around 8.30pm. He saw that Anuhya had prepared dinner and was about to eat.

Half an hour later, after showering, he noticed that Anuhya – who was washing dishes – had left her bottle of water unattended at the dining table and took the opportunity to pop one of his pills into the bottle. Prabakaran then went to his room to rest and wait for the pill to take effect.

When Anuhya sipped the water in her bedroom, she found it bitter and spat the water onto the floor. She then suspected that Prabakaran had spiked her water. Fearing for her own safety, she called a family friend, Kantareddy Sreelatha, and told her what happened.

When Sreelatha arrived at the flat with another man Suram Karunakar, Anuhya showed them the bottle, which was half filled with water. Sreelatha observed the water to be cloudy.

When confronted, Prabakaran admitted to lacing the water and pleaded for forgiveness. As Sreelatha, Karunakar and Anuhya were standing outside the flat, Prabakaran grabbed the water bottle and emptied it before dropping it to the floor.

Karunakar then called the police and retrieved the bottle, which still had a bit of liquid in it.

A Health Sciences Authority toxicology report found that the contaminated water contained Sildenafil, which is used to treat male sexual function problems and is not meant for use by women.

Sildenafil is also specified in the Poisons List in the schedule of the Poisons Act. Possible side effects of its usage include headaches, flushing, nasal congestion, nausea, visual disturbances and upper abdominal pain or discomfort.

Tan said that Prabakaran’s act of administering the drug to Anuhya was aggravated as it was “preparatory to the act of rape” and “intended to put her in a vulnerable position”.

The DPP added that the offence was highly premeditated and that it took place in Anuhya’s home, where she was entitled to feel safe.

Lawyer Kalaithasan Karuppaya, who represented Prabakaran, said that his client had started working here as a construction worker and progressed to becoming a temporary driver before finding work as a private hire bus driver.

He said that Prabakaran had to borrow about 500,000 rupees (S$10,000) to facilitate his travel to Singapore and for his elder brother’s wedding, and is about S$20,000 in debt.

Citing his client’s clean record, Kalaithasan said Prabakaran was remorseful about his actions and would not be able to find a job in India easily as he lacked qualifications. He also told the court that his Prabakaran’s elder brother and uncles were in court to speak to him before he was jailed.

For giving a poison to someone with intent to cause hurt or commit other offences, Prabakaran could have been jailed up to 10 years and fined or caned.

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