Woman who knew friend was raped but didn't immediately alert the police sentenced to probation in Singapore
The woman had agreed to lie to the victim even though another man told her about the rape.
SINGAPORE – A woman who did not inform the police when she had good reason to believe that a man had raped her friend was sentenced to probation on Monday (18 March). According to local media The Straits Times, the prosecution had said that the woman was legally bound to alert the police.
For failing to immediately inform the authorities about the rape, the 22-year-old woman was sentenced to a year and nine months of probation. She had pleaded guilty to the offence in court on 1 February, and also admitted to other unrelated offences, including cheating.
During her probation, the woman must perform 100 hours of community service and remain indoors from 11pm to 6am every day. To ensure her good behaviour, her mother was also bonded for $5,000.
Woman had intentionally lied to the victim after the latter was raped
The woman and the 23-year-old victim were together with six others in a hotel room at Hotel Royal along Newton Road on 28 November 2021. Together, they had shared eight bottles of alcoholic drinks, reported The Straits Times.
After a hotel concierge informed them around midnight that they were violating COVID-19 regulations that only allowed up to five people to gather in a group, two people left, leaving just six people in the room.
A few hours later on 29 November 2021, the victim dozed off on the bed after downing a shot of liquor. A 20-year-old man, who was part of the party of six, lay next to her and started to hug her.
It was between 3am to 6am that another member of the group, a 19-year-old male teenager, carried her to the bathroom and the 20-year-old man raped her, The Straits Times reported. The actions of the other people in the group during that time were not stated in the court documents.
The man later carried the victim back to the bed after he had raped her and fell asleep. When he awoke, he told the teenager and the female offender that he had sex with the victim.
They then agreed to lie and tell the victim that she had followed the man to the bathroom after waking up in the early hours of the morning.
The victim eventually awoke and, after feeling pain while using the toilet, started to suspect that she might have been raped. The female offender feigned ignorance when she was asked if she knew what had happened.
The group eventually left the hotel around 9am.
A few days later on 1 December 2021, the victim lodged a police report. Court documents did not disclose the outcomes of the cases that involved the man and the teenager, The Straits Times reported.
Also involved in cheating
The female offender also committed a cheating offence in March 2022 when she saw an Instagram advertisement that promised “fast cash”. She was directed toward a Telegram group and communicated with a man who offered her $1,000 to open a bank account.
The Straits Times reported that she followed the instructions she was given and gave the man her Internet banking details, including her password.
The man then used her account between 9 and 16 March 2022 to handle the proceeds of a scam, which involved an undisclosed amount of money.
The woman opened another bank account that was also used to handle scam proceeds on 9 May 2022.
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