UK: Indian student gets 6-year jail for raping drunk woman
An Indian student, Preet Vikal, has been sentenced to six years and nine months in a young offenders' institution in the United Kingdom for allegedly raping a drunk woman he had met in a club. The 20-year-old accused allegedly carried the "intoxicated" woman to his flat in Cardiff City and raped her in June last year. He has also reportedly admitted to the offense.
Victim was hopelessly intoxicated when incident took place: Police
The incident took place when Vikal and the woman had gone on a night out in Cardiff with separate groups of friends, where they met each other, BBC reported citing police officials. The police further said that the victim was hopelessly intoxicated when she stepped outside the said club. She reportedly met Vikal, and the two moved away from their groups.
CCTV footage of accused carrying woman goes viral
CCTV footage of Vikal carrying the woman in his arms and later across his shoulders has recently gone viral. Reportedly, he could be seen carrying the woman to his flat through the streets of Cardiff. As they passed a pub, she was also reportedly seen walking but heavily leaning on Vikal. It is possible the same video that was displayed in court against him.
South Wales Police Cardiff shares details on Twitter
What did the police say?
The police claimed that Vikal even clicked a "trophy photograph" of the woman after taking her home and forwarded it to his friends, said reports. Despite being scared, the woman boldly presented authorities with a description of what transpired. They said the CCTV footage and the accused's Instagram message exchange with the woman assisted investigators in identifying the accused.
