3.5 years' jail, caning for man who molested, had sex with prostitute sleeping at Geylang alley

SINGAPORE — After failing to hire a prostitute in Geylang because prices were too high, Patian Sohag saw a 53-year-old woman sleeping on a chair in a back alley and decided to repeatedly molest her.

When the victim — who works as a sex worker and had taken some drugs — did not respond to his request for sex, Patian decided to move her to a more secluded area to have sex with her anyway. 

The victim only found out when she woke up the next morning and called the police.

Patian, 40, was on Friday (Sept 16) sentenced to three years and six months’ jail as well as three strokes of the cane. The Bangladeshi's sentence was backdated to March 6 last year when he was remanded.

He pleaded guilty to one count each of outraging the victim’s modesty and abducting her to force her to have sex with him.

Another charge of misappropriating her property was taken into consideration for sentencing.

Patian was originally charged with rape, but he did not face any rape charges on Friday. No details were given in open court as to why the charge was dropped.

VICTIM TOOK 'POWER PILLS'

The court heard that Patian, who had worked at a chemical plating factory here for the past 16 years, was drinking alcohol with some friends in the Bedok North area on Feb 28 last year. They then took a taxi to Geylang.

Deputy Public Prosecutors (DPPs) Delicia Tan and Phoebe Tan told the court that Patian intended to look for prostitutes there but could not find one because he felt the prices quoted were too high.

Patian’s friend then left because he had to work the next day, while Patian continued roaming the area in search of prostitutes.

As for the victim, a Singaporean who cannot be named due to a court order to protect her identity, she consumed some “power pills” that day at a coffee shop along Lorong 10 Geylang.

The court heard that these pills made her feel alert. Her blood and urine were later found to contain dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant, and nitrazepam, which is typically used as a sedative.

Both substances had side effects that included agitation, confusion, disorientation, dizziness, lethargy and sedation.

After meeting some friends along Lorong 20 Geylang, she dozed off while sitting on a chair at around 12.15am.

At around 3.20am, Patian spotted the victim in the chair, still asleep and alone.

First, he tried to wake her up by calling out to her.

Upon realising that she was deeply asleep, he molested her by touching her breasts and private parts under her clothes.

He then lifted her up from the chair and carried her away to a secluded area, which was surrounded by potted plants.

Closed-circuit television footage, which was played in court, showed Patian groping her and carrying her away. The video footage did not capture them at the area by the potted plants.

The prosecution told the court that Patian placed her on the ground, kissed her and had sex with her. He left the scene six minutes later.

About a minute later, the victim was seen staggering back to her original seat, where she dozed off after adjusting the belt buckle on her jeans. 

After waking up later that morning, she felt a wet and sticky substance on her underwear and jeans. She then made a police report, stating that she was raped and her mobile phone was missing.

Patian was arrested about a week later on March 4. His sperm was later found on the victim’s vaginal swabs.

DEEPLY SORRY FOR ACTIONS

Prosecutors sought a jail term of between three years and four years and three months, along with three strokes of the cane.

They pointed to several aggravating factors that included the victim being unable to consent due to her state, Patian brazenly committing the offences in public, and him checking his surroundings several times to ensure no one else was around.

Mr Ashwin Ganapathy, who was assigned to represent Patian pro bono under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, asked for about three years’ jail with three strokes of the cane.

The defence lawyer told the court that Patian was “deeply sorry for his actions” and had vowed not to repeat his mistakes.

"The victim has suffered greatly and our client must be held accountable. He fully accepts the wickedness of his actions... and takes full responsibility," Mr Ganapathy added.

In sentencing Patian, District Judge Ronald Gwee commended Mr Ganapathy for his “very balanced and very fair approach”.

For molestation, Patian could have been jailed up to three years, fined, caned, or punished with any combination of the three.

For abducting the victim to compel her to have intercourse with him, he could have been jailed up to 10 years and caned or fined.