SINGAPORE — Barely a month after being put on probation for dragging a 12-year-old girl to a staircase landing and molesting her, Muhammad Ashahann Hairudin went on to break the law several times again. 

He had sex with three underage girls and also sexually penetrated his relative’s underage girlfriend while she was trying to have sex with the other boy.

He committed his most serious offence a year later when his former schoolmate visited him at his condominium — he carried the 16-year-old girl to a toilet beside the swimming pool and raped her twice. 

Ashahann, now aged 20, was sentenced to 12 years’ jail and six strokes of the cane on Monday (March 2) in the High Court. 

He was between 17 and 18 years old when he committed his fresh offences against the five victims, who were aged between 12 and 16 then. They cannot be named due to a court order to protect their identities.

Ashahann pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts each of rape and sexual penetration of a minor. Six other charges, including theft and abduction, were taken into consideration for sentencing.

An Institute of Mental Health psychiatrist found that he did not have any mental or paraphilic disorder but displayed “deviant sexual behaviour in choosing young adolescent females” as his sexual partners.

The psychiatrist also found that he displayed “a lack of victim empathy”.

Prosecutors sought at least 10 years’ jail and six strokes, calling him a “hardened and recalcitrant sexual offender” who had been accused of molesting a schoolmate while in Secondary 4.

Ashahann's lawyer Ranadhir Gupta asked for him to be assessed for reformative training — a regimented rehabilitation programme for young offenders — but Justice Aedit Abdullah said that that was not appropriate, given the seriousness of his charges.

FORCIBLY CARRIED VICTIM 

The court heard that Ashahann met his former schoolmate in a WhatsApp group for a school competition.

He dropped out of his course a few weeks later because he had no interest in studying, and then began working as a factory mover and packer.

On March 15, 2018, he was about to exit the chat group when the victim’s profile picture caught his attention. They began chatting and he called her the next day.

During their conversation over the phone, he asked if he could tag along with her while she did her homework, before suggesting that she go over to his condominium to do so. She agreed to this.

The condominium, which is located in the eastern region of Singapore, and the name of their school were removed from court documents.

She went to his home on March 17, 2018 and they sat at a pavilion next to the swimming pool. No one was there then.

When she took out her laptop to do her homework, he took off his shirt. She decided to take off her shirt and skirt too because it was hot out, wearing just a swimsuit.

Ashahann soon began flirting with her, lifting her onto his lap and kissing her back but she was shocked when he suddenly kissed her on the lips.

After she pushed him away, he stood up and asked her to follow him. She grew alarmed and immediately stepped away when he led her to a toilet for the disabled. Then Ashahann grabbed her hand and dragged her to the toilet.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Asoka Markandu told the court: “The victim was terrified and put up a struggle, but Ashahann was too strong. She began to cry and she told him repeatedly that she did not want to follow him.” 

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Ashahann scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the toilet. While he was opening the door, she broke free but he caught her again and took her in.

Even though she was in tears and begging him to let her go, repeatedly telling him that she did not want to have sex, he told her to take off his clothes. He then locked the door behind them after she tried to push it open.

In the toilet, he forcibly undressed her and raped her.

Afterwards, she discarded her swimsuit, took her belongings and went home. 

Later that evening, she told three of her closest friends what had happened, adding that she had suicidal thoughts. Her friends accompanied her to make a police report at Bedok Police Station the next day.

Ashahann was later arrested in Yishun and admitted to the police that he knew she did not want to have sex with him. 

ON PROBATION FOR EARLIER OFFENCES

On Feb 21, 2017, Ashahann was sentenced to two years of probation, which is usually offered to first-time offenders between the ages of 16 and 21 years old.

This does not result in a recorded criminal conviction and allows young offenders to continue with their education or employment while serving their sentences.

He had followed a 12-year-old girl home from school, grabbed her from behind as she left the lift, then dragged her to a staircase landing. 

She managed to escape after biting his hand.

Court documents stated that he also had “consensual sex” in his home with a 14-year-old girl.

Just a week after being sentenced, he contacted another 15-year-old girl on social media platform Instagram. They similarly had sex in his room.

“At the time, the victim understood that the accused wanted to have sex with her. She was prepared to ‘give’ her virginity to him, in the hope that he would become her boyfriend,” DPP Asoka told the court.

That same month, Ashahann had sex with another girl —also aged 15 — in his room. They frequently hung out at his home with several other friends.

She told him that she did not want to have sex with him but he persisted and she finally relented, DPP Asoka said.

Ashahann committed more offences that same month, this time against his relative’s 12-year-old girlfriend.

When the girl and her 13-year-old friend went over to his place, he had sex with the older girl before realising that his relative and the younger girl were unsure how to have sex. 

“As this was the first time that both (of them) were having sexual intercourse, the accused showed them how to do it,” DPP Asoka added.

In June 2017, while Ashahann was performing community service at NTUC Health Silver Circle as part of his probation, he took the chance to steal the assistant manager’s mobile phone.

For rape, he could have been jailed up to 20 years and fined or caned.