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SINGAPORE – A PhD student who pursued his former housemate romantically continued to pester her even after she repeatedly turned down his advances. <\/p>\n
When she stayed at home to avoid him, Gao Xiong trespassed into her condominium unit and tried to rape her. <\/p>\n
Before he could complete the deed, the woman\u2019s housemate pulled Gao away from the victim. <\/p>\n
On Dec 1, Gao, a 31-year-old Chinese national, was sentenced to a jail term of six years, six months and six weeks, as well as three strokes of the cane. <\/p>\n
He pleaded guilty to one count of attempted rape, committed on Oct 9, 2023, and three counts of criminal trespass, committed between Oct 9, 2023, and May 26, 2024. <\/p>\n
After sentencing him, Justice Hoo Sheau Peng suggested that Gao be referred to attend programmes for inmates on sexual attitudes and behaviour. <\/p>\n
Gao and the 22-year-old victim, a Chinese national who was completing her tertiary studies in Singapore, used to stay in separate rooms in the unit, alongside other tenants. <\/p>\n
He moved out in August 2023. In early October 2023, he began texting her to ask her out. <\/p>\n
She rejected him and asked him to stop bothering her, but he continued to harass her. <\/p>\n
On Oct 8, 2023, when he returned to the unit to look for her, she called the police. <\/p>\n
Gao left when the police arrived, but remained at the bus stop outside overnight, and continued to send her text messages. <\/p>\n
The next day, Oct 9, the victim decided to stay in her room. <\/p>\n
Gao returned to the unit that night and was let in by one of the tenants. <\/p>\n
After the victim opened her room door in response to his knocks, he told her he had left his bank card in the unit and said he wanted to apologise for his angry texts the night before. <\/p>\n
She rejected the apology and said she would be calling the police. The woman tried to close the door, but he forced his way into the room. <\/p>\n
He pushed her to the floor, pulled at her dress and exposed himself. <\/p>\n
On hearing the victim\u2019s screams, one of the tenants dragged Gao out of her room. <\/p>\n
Gao remained in the unit, and the victim eventually got one of her housemates to call the police. <\/p>\n
A medical examination found scratch marks and bruises on her body. <\/p>\n
Gao was initially remanded after he was charged on Oct 11, 2023, with attempted rape. <\/p>\n
After he was bailed out on May 2, 2024, he committed further incidents of trespass. <\/p>\n
On May 10, 2024, while he was at the State Courts for a pre-trial conference, he ran out of the room he was in and insisted on speaking to the judge who was in a separate room. <\/p>\n
Ignoring a \u201cno entry\u201d sign, he entered a room marked Chamber 8-40 and left only when a staff member went to get help. At some point, the panic alarm was activated. <\/p>\n
He also returned to the condo unit in an attempt to persuade his victim to withdraw her allegations against him. <\/p>\n
On May 5, 2024, he was told that she had moved out. He went back again on May 26, 2024, to get her contact number, but to no avail. <\/p>\n
Gao was remanded again on May 31, 2024, after his bailor discharged himself. <\/p>\n
In sentencing arguments, Deputy Public Prosecutor Tay Jia En noted that the victim was hurt and that the rape attempt was unsuccessful only because of her housemate\u2019s intervention. <\/p>\n
Gao\u2019s lawyer, Mr Don Tan, argued that the offence was not premeditated. <\/p>\n
Mr Tan also noted that all his client\u2019s years of working hard have \u201cgone down the drain\u201d and that he would have to restart his life in China. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n