A 48-year-old Malaysian man who posed as a police officer before raping a foreign domestic worker has been sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane.

 

According to a report by Channel NewsAsia (CNA), Sharveen Chetty pleaded guilty to one count of rape on the second day of his trial. Two other charges, a second rape charge and one for impersonating a police officer were taken into consideration during sentencing.

 

Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Dedar Singh Gill said the accused had deliberately targeted a foreigner who was unfamiliar with Singapore’s authorities. According to CNA, the judge noted that Chetty exploited the woman’s vulnerable position and used the appearance of official authority to isolate and degrade her.

 

“The threat used under the claimed authority, which the victim believed, led her to submit,” the judge said, as reported by CNA.

 

Court documents showed that the offence took place on July 11, 2022. At the time, Chetty was working as a station staff member with SBS Transit at Little India MRT Station.

 

The victim had been meeting her boyfriend and friends and was seated on a grass patch outside one of the station exits when Chetty approached the group during patrol. He was dressed in uniform and carrying a patrol bag and body-worn camera.

 

According to CNA, Chetty later retrieved a black jacket, torchlight and cap from the passenger service centre, intending to alter his appearance and assume the role of a police officer. He avoided surveillance cameras by taking a longer route back to the group.

 

He then introduced himself as being with the police and demanded identification documents. After returning the documents, he instructed the victim to follow him while her friends remained behind, believing he was a legitimate officer.

 

Chetty led the woman to nearby bushes, where he kissed her. When she resisted, he threatened to have her and her friends blacklisted from working in Singapore. Fearing deportation or loss of employment, she complied. He then raped and sexually assaulted her, according to CNA’s court report.

 

The victim returned to her friends visibly distressed, and the group reported the matter to auxiliary police officers. A formal report was lodged shortly afterwards.

 

Chetty left Singapore but was arrested upon his return at Tuas Checkpoint on July 14, 2022, CNA reported.

 

The prosecution had sought between 11 and 13 years in jail along with 12 strokes of the cane, arguing that Chetty had “audaciously sexually violated” the victim.

 

Under Singapore law, rape carries a penalty of up to 20 years’ imprisonment, and offenders may also face fines or caning.

 

The High Court said the abuse of perceived authority and targeting of a foreign worker were serious aggravating factors in the case.