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Three British men to be caned for sexual assault of woman at Singapore stag party Three British men to be caned for sexual assault of woman in Singapore
(about 3 hours later)
Three British men were sentenced on Tuesday to jail time and caning for sexually assaulting a Malaysian woman during a stag party in Singapore. Three British men have been sentenced to jail time and caning for sexually assaulting a Malaysian woman during a stag party in Singapore.
Khong Tam Thanh, 22, Le Michael, 24, and Vu Thai Son, 24, were originally accused of rape, but pleaded guilty on Monday to a lesser charge of aggravated outrage of modesty after a four-day trial. The defendants – Khong Tam Thanh, 22, Michael Le, 24, and Vu Thai Son, 24 – were originally accused by the prosecution of taking turns to rape the woman in a hotel room. The three pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of aggravated outrage of modesty.
High court judge Hoo Sheau Peng slammed their “reprehensible” conduct and sentenced the trio to jail terms of between five-and-a-half and six-and-a-half years. At the end of a four-day trial, high court judge Hoo Sheau Peng fiercely criticised their “reprehensible” conduct and sentenced them to jail terms of between five-and-a-half and six-and-a-half years.
They were also sentenced to between five and eight strokes of the cane each. Caning is a punishment dating back to British colonial rule in Singapore and involves being flogged with a rattan stick. They were also sentenced to between five and eight strokes of a 1.2-metre rattan cane each, a punishment dating back to British colonial rule in Singapore.
The attack happened in Singapore in September last year, when the trio travelled to the city-state for a bachelor party. “While she was asleep, and quite unable to protect herself, they took advantage of her vulnerable state so as to commit these serious sexual crimes,” the judge said.
The groom, the brother of Khong, was also on the trip. “In doing so, they showed no respect for her dignity and autonomy, and no regard for any harm and hurt they might cause to her.”
After attending an electronic music festival, the men met the 23-year-old victim at a popular nightspot, and she went back to a hotel with one of their friends. The attack took place in September last year when the three were in the city-state for a bachelor party.
Later, Khong, Le and Vu took turns to enter the room and have sex with her without her consent. The woman woke up as Le assaulted her. The groom, the brother of Thanh, was also on the trip, but not involved in the incident.
As well as outrage of modesty, Khong and Vu, who worked as beauticians in Britain, were also convicted of an additional charge of sexual assault. The men met the 23-year-old woman at a nightclub, and she went back to the Carlton hotel with one of their friends – who was not arrested – where they had sex.
Later, Thanh, Son, and Le took turns to enter the room and have sex with her without her consent, the court heard. Khong left the hotel room door ajar after he had assaulted her, according to the Straits Times, which the judge said facilitated further sexual offences.
The woman woke up as Le assaulted her and confronted him. She filed a police report later that day.
Thanh and Son, who worked as beauticians in Britain, were also convicted of an additional charge of sexual assault.
Deputy public prosecutor Gnanasihamani Kannan said the three men “objectified her, they treated her like a thing to be used and abused”.
The women did not have to testify in court as the defendants pleaded guilty after the prosecution amended the charges, according to the Straits Times.
Rights groups have condemned the practice of caning prisoners in Singapore, a country well-known for zero tolerance towards crime. Vandalism, overstaying of visas, robbery, drug abuse, and sexual abuse are offences where caning can be used in a sentence.
Prisoners are stripped to expose their buttocks and strapped to a wooden trestle. The pain has been described as excruciating, and a medical officer is on duty as the practice often breaks the skin.
In 2016, authorities carried out close to 1,000 caning sentences, with about a third of those canned being foreigners, according to a US Department of State rights report.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report