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SINGAPORE \u2013 A 34-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years\u2019 jail and 14 strokes of the cane on Dec 5 for raping and sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl he met on a mobile chat app.<\/p>\n
The sexual acts took place on April 18, 2022, at a secluded open space in the vicinity of Vanda Link, near Sixth Avenue MRT station. <\/p>\n
The offender, Mookkapillai Pazhanivel, an Indian national, was earlier found guilty of one count each of statutory rape and sexual assault by penetration following a trial that began in April.<\/p>\n
In sentencing arguments on Dec 5, Deputy Public Prosecutor Jiang Ke-Yue highlighted Mookkapillai\u2019s actions throughout the proceedings, which show \u201can utter lack of remorse\u201d.<\/p>\n
During his trial, Mookkapillai declared that he would go on a hunger strike until a lawyer was appointed for him.<\/p>\n
Describing this as \u201cnothing more than a stunt\u201d to obstruct the trial, the DPP noted that before the trial started, Mookkapillai had chosen to remain unrepresented after legal aid was withdrawn. <\/p>\n
Mookkapillai also engaged in victim-blaming and made baseless allegations that he had been treated roughly by police officers.<\/p>\n
On Oct 29, after he was convicted, Mookkapillai slumped over in his chair and refused to respond when asked for his position on nine other charges which had been stood down. <\/p>\n
After the court session resumed, he demanded: \u201cWhy should I admit?\u201d <\/p>\n
Responding to the DPP\u2019s submissions, Mookkapillai said through an interpreter that he did not want to admit to the charges because he did not commit those offences.<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cI have a habit of not eating since I was young. As I was under stress, I did not want to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n
He told the court that he sat down after being convicted because he did not expect the outcome and was feeling giddy.<\/p>\n
High Court Judge Aidan Xu rejected Mookkapillai\u2019s excuses. <\/p>\n
Justice Xu said he chose to take advantage of a very young person to satisfy his lust. <\/p>\n
On April 17, 2022, the victim sent a message to Mookkapillai\u2019s account \u201csweet sweet\u201d on Telegram and said she was 13 years old. <\/p>\n
He asked to meet her, and when she asked what he wanted to do, he replied that he wanted to carry out a certain sex act on her. <\/p>\n
The next day, they arranged to meet at Sixth Avenue MRT station. <\/p>\n
The victim, who was then in Orchard Road with her mother, lied to her mother that she was going shopping so that she could meet him.<\/p>\n
At the station, Mookkapillai took her to a grass patch, where he sexually assaulted and raped her.<\/p>\n
She testified that after the meeting, she \u201cdidn\u2019t really feel anything at that time\u201d and that she \u201cjust felt very dirty\u201d because she knew that what she did was not very right.<\/p>\n
After this meeting, Mookkapillai repeatedly sent her messages asking her to meet him again. <\/p>\n
On April 26, 2022, she told him to leave her alone. <\/p>\n
In September that year, Mookkapillai used other accounts to send her sexually explicit messages.<\/p>\n
She eventually told her mother on Oct 8, 2022, about the harassment, and lodged a police report the next day.<\/p>\n
The DPP told the court that Mookkapillai hid behind pseudonyms in his communications with the victim and refused to provide his name even when she asked him for it. <\/p>\n
The police were initially unable to trace Mookkapillai. He was eventually arrested on March 21, 2023, after the victim helped to arrange a meet-up.<\/p>\n
Mookkapillai was supposed to plead guilty to a third charge on Dec 5, 2025, with eight other charges taken into consideration in sentencing.<\/p>\n
His plea was rejected by the judge after he insisted on disputing the statement of facts read out by the DPP.<\/p>\n
Another trial will be held in the State Courts in relation to these nine charges. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n