Construction worker on sex-enhancing drug raped masseuse, gets jail and caning - CNA

[Lydia Lam]

SINGAPORE: A construction worker went to a massage parlour and asked for services, but did not have enough money to pay the woman who had just woken up.

When told to leave, the 27-year-old man locked the door and forced himself on the woman, who put up a fight but ultimately submitted to him for fear of being hurt.

Bangladeshi national Prodhan Sajib was sentenced to 10 years' jail and six strokes of the cane on Monday (Nov 11) for one count of rape by oral penetration.

The definition of rape under the Penal Code was expanded to include oral and anal penetration in amendments that took effect in 2020.

THE CASE​

The court heard that Sajib went to work at a construction site at about 7.30am on May 18, 2022.

Shortly after, he left to buy some groceries before walking to a massage parlour.

The victim, a 32-year-old Chinese national, was sleeping inside when she heard the doorbell at about 7.55am.

She saw Sajib standing outside the glass door of the main entrance and let him in.

She asked Sajib if he wanted a massage, and he replied: "Massage".

The victim quoted him the cost, and the man took out his wallet but did not have enough money.

He took out a bank card and gestured for the victim to swipe it on the payment machine, but refused to actually hand the card to her.

The woman told him to leave, but Sajib refused.

At this point, Sajib said he formed an "evil thinking" in his mind and locked the glass door before carrying the woman on his shoulder to a massage bed furthest from the door.

The victim struggled and shouted for help, but Sajib restrained her and pressed a towel on her face. He made a gesture with his hand, swiping across his neck and making a stabbing motion towards his stomach.

The woman feared that Sajib would kill her if she did not stop shouting, and stopped her cries.

She tried to run again when Sajib was adjusting his clothes but he caught up with her and pinned her to the floor.

Sajib then choked the woman and slapped her face a few times. Fearing that he would really hurt her, the woman then complied with his demands.

Afterwards, she tried to run out of the massage parlour, but Sajib blocked her way and gestured to her to put on her slippers.

The victim retrieved her slippers and tried fleeing again, but Sajib grabbed her by the waist and began tussling with her for her mobile phone.

The woman broke free again and ran outside where she called for help on her phone, but Sajib again pursued her and got her to return to the massage parlour.

He finally left after the woman went back in and closed the door.

She lodged a police report in the wee hours of the next day, saying she had been forced to perform a sexual act.

She saw a doctor for injuries sustained during the offence, including tenderness over her neck, bruises and scratches.

The police reviewed police camera video footage and identified Sajib, who was arrested at his workplace a day after the offence.

He was remanded for forensic psychiatric evaluation, with a report stating that his actions were organised, goal-directed and "clearly driven by his sexual urges towards the victim".

Sajib told the psychiatrist that he had proceeded to carry the victim even after she had signalled him to leave due to a side effect of a sex-enhancing medication he had been consuming for about two months before the offence.

He said he would become "hot" and "excited" after seeing women.

The prosecution sought 10 to 11 years' jail and eight strokes of the cane for Sajib, saying he had resorted to gratuitous violence to "satisfy a sudden perverted lust".

Rape carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, along with a fine or caning.