Indian man to serve 14 years jail term in Singapore for sexually assaulting minor: ‘Punishment includes caning but…’

A 58-year-old Indian national, Ramalingam Selvasekaran,was sentenced to 14 years, three months and two weeks’ jail by a Singapore High Court for allegedly sexual assaulting an minor. The sentence includes additional jail time in lieu of 15 strokes of the cane. He cannot be caned owing to his age, as reported by Straits Times

Ramalingam, who owns a provision shop, gave a free drink to an 11-year-old girl who visited his store, and when she returned later that day to buy ice cream, he sexually assaulted her.

The incident happened on October 28, 2021, at his store in Jurong West between 4.50pm and about 5.05pm. Ramalingam allegedly led the girl to the inner confines of his shop to touch her and make her perform oral sex on him.

Following the assaults, the girl sought help from a passer-by, who called the police.

Ramalingam says he is innocenct: ‘Physically incapable of committing the assault’

Noting that he is innocent, Ramalingam said he would be appealing against his conviction.

Straits Times report also said, Ramalingam argued that the girl’s account was unreliable. He questioned why she would seek help from a stranger instead of someone familiar and also said that it was suspicious that there was no police camera footage of her returning to her home after the incident.

He also claimed he was physically incapable of committing the assault due to erectile dysfunction and pointed that his DNA was not found on the victim.

However, Justice Aidan Xu ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The judge stated that the girl’s testimony was consistent and credible, with no major flaws in her version of events.