An Indian-origin man in Singapore has been sent back to prison for 18 years and sentenced to 12 strokes for sexually assaulting a maid. Mark Kalaivanan Tamilarasan, aged 44, committed this crime in July 2017, shortly after he was released from prison, having served 16 years for rape.
During his latest sentencing hearing yesterday, the convict’s uncle launched a tirade in the courtroom, saying that the public prosecutors had no idea what it was like to spend time in jail.
The 18-year prison term for Tamilarasan was technically “preventive detention (PD)”, a punishment imposed on repeat offenders who continue to pose a threat to the public. Despite earlier serving a lengthy jail term, he had evidently not been reformed in the slightest and showed no remorse; this was a good reason for locking him up for a long time again.
During this second trial, the public prosecutors had asked for a 20-year PD for this repeat offence, but the court gave an 18-year PD.
According to CNA, the convict’s uncle shouted at one of the two prosecutors, saying that she treated his nephew Tamilarasan like a “caged animal”.
The uncle reportedly demanded to know what purpose would be served by keeping his nephew in prison for 20 years, as the prosecutors wanted. “If he can’t change now, can the prosecution tell me… can he change in 20 years’ time? That he will be so virtuous, so honest, and will not do anything that is wrong in 20 years’ time? If that is the argument?”
Tamilarasan was convicted of four charges: aggravated sexual assault; house trespass to commit sexual assault; outrage of modesty; and impersonation of a public servant, reported CNA. He had, in an intoxicated state, broken into a flat in July 2017 and sexually assaulted the maid, who was doing some chores at the time.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Chew Xin Ying and Sheldon Lim had asked for the maximum PD sentence of 20 years, after a preventive detention suitability report found him suitable for such a punishment for his repeat offence.
— With inputs from the Press Trust of India