Man raped university student multiple times, recorded and shared footage of assault in 'brutal and cruel' case
SINGAPORE — A hairstylist who came across an intoxicated university student in Clarke Quay in 2019 took her home, where he committed multiple acts of rape against her in a case the judge called "brutal and cruel".
SINGAPORE — A hairstylist who came across an intoxicated university student in Clarke Quay in 2019 took her home, where he committed multiple acts of rape against her in a case the judge called "brutal and cruel".
Kita Ikko, a 38-year-old Japanese national, filmed the sexual assault and sent the footage to a friend.
The victim, who was 20 at the time, continues to grapple with post-traumatic stress symptoms years after the ordeal.
Kita was sentenced to 17-and-a-half years' jail and 20 strokes of the cane in the High Court on Monday (July 1). He pleaded guilty to one charge each of rape, sexual assault by penetration and making an obscene film, with four other charges taken into consideration.
The judge gave no weight to the defence's argument that the victim had supposedly given an initial indication of consent to sex, instead slamming Kita for his acts.
THE CASE
On Dec 29, 2019, the victim, a first-year undergraduate, met her friends for drinks before going to clubs in Clarke Quay.
She was with a friend, also 20, when they were approached by Kita and one of his friends, a 23-year-old man.
They were strangers to each other, but Kita hugged the victim from the back. Despite a rebuff from the victim's friend, the two men continued to walk with the girls.
The victim collapsed and could not stand by herself, and Kita helped her up, eventually parting ways with the victim's friend and his friend.
He boarded a taxi with the victim and asked the driver to head to his apartment, arriving at about 3.45am.
The girl vomited and could not stand by herself, and Kita helped her to the lift of his apartment block, which was not specified in court documents.
He began sexually assaulting the young woman in the lift lobby, continuing his assault in his bedroom and filming it with his phone.
He positioned the phone on a table near his bed to take another video.
The victim began regaining consciousness, calling out for her friend.
Kita then perpetrated multiple acts of rape on her in a span of 25 minutes.
She stumbled out of the apartment when Kita ended his assault and fled in a taxi her friend had flagged. She lodged a police report later that day.
Kita sent the videos of the sex acts to his friend shortly after, to show that the "sex was good", the prosecution said.
He was arrested the same day the police report was lodged and has been in remand since. The police seized his phone and found two incriminating videos that were 24 seconds and 40 minutes long respectively.
The victim was examined at the Institute of Mental Health and found to have developed features of post-traumatic stress disorder.
She has "marked physiological reactions to cues that resemble the event" and low mood, and blames herself for what happened.
'UTTERLY UNREPENTANT': PROSECUTION
Deputy Public Prosecutors Sruthi Boppana and June Ngian sought 18 years' jail and 20 strokes of the cane for Kita, saying he had persisted in his sexual assault despite the victim screaming, crying and repeatedly pleading for him to stop.
"Utterly unrepentant, he filmed the entire ordeal and even sent the video to a friend – telling him that the 'sex was good'," said Ms Boppana.
"Accounting is due for the irreparable harm the accused has caused the victim, who continues to grapple with post-traumatic stress symptoms, years after the ordeal."
The prosecutors said the victim "has been forced to live in perpetual suspicion and fear of men around her".
Defence lawyers Adrian Wee and Ms Lynette Chang from Lighthouse Law sought 11 to 11-and-a-half years' jail and eight strokes of the cane instead for their client.
Mr Wee said his client had "flirted" with the victim as they walked around Clarke Quay.
"We are instructed that the victim reciprocated and indicated to our client that she wanted to return to his apartment for sex," said Mr Wee.
He claimed the victim asked Kita for his name card and phone number, which he gave her.
However, the lawyer clarified that although Kita anticipated sex upon reaching his apartment, Kita accepts that the victim was unable to give consent upon arriving there.
Mr Wee added that this was Kita's first brush with the law in Singapore and Japan, where he lived before relocating here.
"We would also add that while the offences in question are undoubtedly serious, our client is not a serial predator," he said.
Justice Aedit Abdullah addressed Kita directly in sentencing.
"Despite the efforts of your counsel, I have not been persuaded to impose a total sentence as light as he has argued for," said the judge.
"The assault that you have perpetrated on the victim was brutal and cruel. The victim was vulnerable, clearly drunk and incapable of looking after herself. The circumstances of the offences as well as the high degree of your criminal responsibility meant that the sentence should be heavy."
However, Justice Abdullah said he had to take into account his guilty plea and the fact that there was "a considerable delay in proceedings", and therefore did not give as high a sentence as sought by the prosecution. CNA
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