12.5 years’ jail, 11 strokes for man who posed as cop and raped girl

SINGAPORE — A former pizza deliveryman was on Wednesday (July 13) sentenced to 12.5 years’ jail and 11 strokes of the cane in what the prosecution described as a “distressing case of premeditated sexual abuse of a young victim in broad daylight”.

In convicting Muhammad Firman Jumali Chew for raping and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old female by impersonating a policeman, Judicial Commissioner Hoo Sheau Peng found his testimony during the trial to be “unbelievable and incredible”, noting how it was contradicted by evidence from other witnesses.

Over a six-day trial, Firman, 30, had claimed that the victim was the one who had cornered and sexually assaulted him. 

In a version of events completely at odds with the victim, her then boyfriend and a witness, Firman testified that he neither initiated nor desired the sexual contact. Even after the prosecution grilled him on his account, Firman maintained that he was the victim.

Firman had approached the victim and her boyfriend after seeing them behaving intimately at a stairwell of Block 362, Woodlands Avenue 5, in the afternoon of Oct 9, 2013.

Identifying himself as a police officer, Firman asked for their identity cards. He then told the boy to leave and led the girl to a block nearby, where he forced her to perform oral sex on him and raped her.

Describing Firman as a “cunning sexual predator”, the prosecution called him out for his “complete and utter lack of remorse”, pointing specifically to his conduct in the course of the trial. 

“(Firman) had no reservations concocting a defence that scandalised the very girl he had so cruelly and callously assaulted,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz, who sought a sentence of 13½ years’ jail and 11 strokes of the cane.

Firman had also carried out a “methodical, cold and calculated” scheme, she added, citing how he had taken pains to conceal his identity when he committed the offences, such as by entering the lift backwards and using staircases to avoid being captured by surveillance cameras.

He had capitalised on his guise as a cop to separate his victim from her boyfriend, the prosecution added.

Firman’s deception was not borne out of impulsion, said DPP Sharmila, adding that he had acted “deliberately” and “with precision” in a prolonged sequence of events spanning an hour.

“The evidence reveals a guileful and cunning sexual predator who manipulated an innocent teenager into satisfying his depraved lust,” she said.

Firman’s offences were also aggravated by his victim’s young age, and the fact that no condom was used, hence exposing her to the risk of an unwanted pregnancy, said the prosecution. 

In mitigation, defence lawyer Ravinderpal Singh urged the court to consider Firman’s “extremely low to below average” IQ, as assessed by the Institute of Mental Health.

He also said that Firman suffers from delusional beliefs “with themes of persecution and jealousy”. 

On Wednesday, Firman, who was accompanied by his wife and two-year-old daughter, broke down when the court pronounced him guilty.

Firman could have been jailed up to 20 years and/or fined and/or caned for rape and sexual assault by penetration. For pretending to be a police officer, he could have been jailed up to two years and fined.

In February this year, full-time Police National Serviceman Muhammad Shazwan Sapuwan was sentenced to 18 years’ jail and 15 strokes of the cane for rape, sexual assault and outrage of modesty with a similar modus operandi. Shazwan, who pleaded guilty, was also convicted of extortion offences.