Indian National Jailed, Caned For Molesting Woman At Singapore Mall

Indian National Sentenced to Jail and Caning for Molestation at Singapore Mall

The perpetrator was facing a potential sentence of two to 10 years imprisonment and caning for his offense.

Singapore:

A 46-year-old Indian national with permanent residency in Singapore received a four-year jail sentence with six strokes of the cane on Monday after being convicted of molesting a woman in a nursing room at a shopping complex.

Ankit Sharma was found guilty of aggravated outrage of modesty for assaulting a 31-year-old technology recruitment specialist after forcibly taking her into a nursing facility at Changi City Point mall on March 1, 2023, as reported by Channel News Asia.

The victim had her first interaction with Sharma that evening after a colleague had shared his professional profile with her.

What began as a professional discussion quickly deteriorated as Sharma steered the conversation toward sexual topics and posed invasive personal questions while they were having drinks at a bar, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sheldon Lim informed the court.

When the woman temporarily left to use the restroom and returned, Sharma was waiting outside and pulled her into a nearby nursing room, where he forcibly kissed her, restrained her movements, and made continuous sexual advances despite her clear resistance.

Sharma contested the accusations, claiming that the woman had given consent and had suggested entering the nursing room. His legal team argued that she willingly engaged with him but became upset after he commented about her breath.

The court dismissed this defense and convicted Sharma, with prosecutors describing the sexual exploitation as "extremely high" and the violation as "intense and prolonged".

For this offense, Sharma faced between two and 10 years of imprisonment plus caning. His attorney requested a reduced sentence of three to three-and-a-half years with fewer strokes of the cane, but the court upheld the prosecution's recommendation for at least four years imprisonment and six strokes.