Indian National Sentenced for Molestation in Singapore Mall

Singapore, Sep 22 (PTI) - A 46-year-old Indian national, who is also a permanent resident of Singapore, was sentenced on Monday to a four-year prison term and six strokes of the cane. This comes after he was found guilty of molesting a woman in a nursing room at a shopping mall. Ankit Sharma was convicted of an aggravated outrage of modesty for the incident, which involved a 31-year-old technology specialist recruiter. The event took place on March 1, 2023, at the Changi City Point mall, as reported by Channel News Asia.

The victim met Sharma for the first time that evening, having been introduced to him by a colleague. The meeting initially involved professional discussions but soon shifted as Sharma made unwelcome sexual advances and intrusive personal inquiries while they were at a bar, according to Deputy Public Prosecutor Sheldon Lim. When the woman went to the washroom and returned, Sharma waited outside, forcefully dragging her into a nearby nursing room. There, he engaged in non-consensual acts, restraining her and continuing his advances despite her objections.

Sharma denied the charges, claiming that the woman had consented to the interaction and had suggested going to the nursing room. His defense contended that she voluntarily engaged with him, becoming upset only after he commented on her bad breath. However, the court rejected this defense. Sharma was found guilty, with the prosecution describing the severity of the exploitation as "extremely high" and the intrusion as "intense and prolonged." Sharma faced a sentencing range of two to ten years of imprisonment and caning for this offense. While his lawyer advocated for a lighter sentence of three to three-and-a-half years with fewer strokes, the court accepted the prosecution’s recommendation, imposing at least four years in prison and six strokes of the cane.

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