Jail, caning for man who raped domestic worker outside MRT station after posing as cop

In sentencing, Justice Dedar Singh Gill considered it aggravating that Chetty had targeted the victim because she was a foreigner who might be unfamiliar with the local authorities.

The judge rejected the defence’s arguments that the rape was not premeditated.

Citing a precedent case, he said examples of premeditation include taking deliberate steps to isolate the victim.

“The steps taken in the present case fall squarely within the conception of premeditation articulated by the court,” said Justice Gill.

The judge, however, noted that Chetty had pleaded guilty before the victim and key prosecution witnesses testified, thus sparing her and her friends from going through cross-examination.

The prosecution had sought a sentence of between 11 and 13 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane, noting Chetty’s extensive efforts to disguise himself, and his predatory act of leading the victim away from the rest of the group.

At the time of the offences, Chetty was employed as a station staff member by SBS Transit and was stationed at the Little India MRT station. He left the job more than three years ago.

On July 11, 2022, he was carrying out patrolling duties when he came across the victim, who was with her boyfriend and two other migrant workers from India.

The group was sitting near Exit D of the station.

Chetty admitted that he became sexually attracted to the victim.

At the time, he was in his uniform and had a body-worn camera hanging from a lanyard on his neck.

He deviated from his usual patrolling route and returned to the passenger service centre so that he could change his appearance to avoid being readily identified as an SBS Transit employee.

Aware that there were CCTV cameras within the MRT station, he went to Exit F and walked around the perimeter.

Before approaching the group again, he put on a black cap to disguise himself.

He lied that he was a police officer, and asked for their work permits, which he checked using his body-worn camera.

Chetty instructed the victim to follow him, and the rest of the group to stay. All of them complied, as they believed he was a police officer.

He then took the woman to some nearby bushes and kissed her.

When she pushed him away, he threatened to have her and the rest of the group blacklisted from working in Singapore.

The victim complied with his instructions out of fear that he would carry out the threat. Chetty then raped her twice.

The woman went back to her friends and told them what had happened.

They reported the incident to some auxiliary police officers, who then approached a policewoman on patrol duty. The police officer lodged a report at about 8.50pm that day.

Chetty was arrested in the early hours of July 14, 2022, at Tuas Checkpoint when he was coming into Singapore.