Woman who knew her friend was being raped but did not immediately alert police was sentenced to probation in Singapore

SINGAPORE – A woman who failed to inform police despite having good reason to believe that a man had raped her friend was given a suspended sentence on Monday (March 18). According to local newspaper The Straits Times, the prosecution had said the woman was legally obliged to inform police.

Because she did not immediately inform authorities about the rape, the 22-year-old woman was sentenced to one year and nine months’ probation. She pleaded guilty in court on February 1 and also admitted to other unrelated crimes, including fraud.

During her probation, the woman must complete 100 hours of community service and stay home from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. every day. To ensure her good behavior, her mother was also given a $5,000 bail.

Woman deliberately lied to victim after rape

The woman and the 23-year-old victim were in a hotel room at the Hotel Royal on Newton Road with six other people on November 28, 2021. Together they shared eight bottles of alcoholic beverages, The Straits Times reported.

After a hotel concierge informed them around midnight that they had violated COVID-19 regulations allowing a maximum gathering of five people in a group, two people left the hotel, leaving only six people in the room.

A few hours later, on November 29, 2021, the victim dozed off on the bed after drinking a liquor. A 20-year-old man who was part of the group of six lay down next to her and started hugging her.

Between 3am and 6am, another group member, a 19-year-old teenager, carried her to the toilet and the 20-year-old man raped her, The Straits Times reported. The actions of the other group members during this time were not mentioned in court documents.

The man later carried the victim back to bed after raping her and fell asleep. When he woke up, he told the teenager and the perpetrator that he had had sex with the victim.

They then agreed to lie and tell the victim that she had followed the man to the toilet in the early hours of the morning after waking up.

The victim eventually woke up and, feeling pain while going to the toilet, began to suspect that she might have been raped. The perpetrator feigned ignorance when asked if she knew what had happened.

The group finally left the hotel around 9am.

A few days later, on December 1, 2021, the victim filed a police report. Court records did not reveal the outcome of the cases involving the man and the teenager, The Straits Times reported.

Also involved in fraud

In March 2022, the perpetrator also committed a fraud offense when she saw an Instagram advertisement promising “quick money.” She was redirected to a Telegram group and communicated with a man who offered her $1,000 to open a bank account.

The Straits Times reported that she followed the instructions and gave the man her internet banking details, including the password.

The man then used her account between March 9 and March 16, 2022, to process the proceeds of a fraud involving an unknown amount of money.

On May 9, 2022, the woman opened another bank account through which proceeds from the fraud were also processed.

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