Singapore: Indian, who sexually-exploited minor, gets 13 years jail sentence
What's the story
A 31-year-old Indian man who sexually exploited a minor in Singapore was sentenced to 13 years in jail and 12 strokes of cane by the High Court, media reports claimed.
The accused, Udhayakumar Dhakshinamoorthy, pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual assault and two charges of attempted statutory rape.
He courted the 12-year-old, called her his wife and groomed her for intrusive sexual acts.
Crime
For three months, the victim was assaulted
Dhakshinamoorthy violated the victim for three months, from September 2016 to December 2016.
The heinous crime came to light after Dhakshinamoorthy's pregnant girlfriend saw naked pictures of the minor girl on his phone.
Before announcing the verdict, the High Court took into consideration four other charges.
Judicial Commissioner Pang Khang Chau said Dhakshinamoorthy exploited the innocence of the minor and morally corrupted her.
Abuse
Dhakshinamoorthy said he would 'teach' minor about sex
Dhakshinamoorthy, who works at a minimart, asked the victim for a nude selfie soon after they started chatting, the probe found.
He took the victim to a staircase of a block of flats and pressurized her for sex. When she said she didn't know what it was, Dhakshinamoorthy said he would 'teach her'.
He tried having sex with her twice but failed.
Horrifying tale
He used to pick her from school, abuse her
Dhakshinamoorthy used to take the victim to minimart, buy her ice creams and toys.
After school, Dhakshinamoorthy took the minor to places in the neighborhood to engage in petting.
He gave her SGD5 (Singapore dollars) and SGD10 after each session.
Soon this escalated and Dhakshinamoorthy forced the victim for sexual intercourse.
Notably, the victim referred to him as 'uncle'.
Details
After failing to have sex, Dhakshinamoorthy ended their 'relationship'
The investigation found that after failing to have sex with her for the second time, Dhakshinamoorthy gave the girl SDG50 and ended their 'relationship'. He told the girl she can't accompany him to the minimart any more.
Around that time, Dhakshinamoorthy started seeing another woman, who had doubts about his loyalty.
Once when they were in a hotel room, his girlfriend checked his phone.
Information
Dakshinamoorthy's girlfriend filed police complaint against him
The woman went through Dakshinamoorthy's phone while he was asleep. She saw a picture of a minor, dressed in a school dress, exposing herself. The woman acted soon and contacted the police. A case against Dakshinamoorthy was filed subsequently.