Singaporean accused of raping woman three times in 20 minutes admits guilt
THE STAR
SINGAPORE: A day after he pleaded not guilty to raping a woman at three different spots along a stretch of road in River Valley in a span of 20 minutes, a 30-year-old man changed his mind and admitted his guilt.
Instead of continuing with his trial, Lim Choon Beng pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, one count of aggravated outrage of modesty and one count of sexual assault. Four other charges will be considered during sentencing.
The High Court heard that Lim, who was jobless, had been drinking with friends at Robertson Quay before he approached the victim, a performing artiste from China, as she was walking home alone along Martin Road at about 3am on Feb 9, 2013.
He asked in Mandarin if she was a Chinese national and if she liked American men.
Despite attempts by the 24-year-old woman to shake him off, Lim, then 26, grabbed and pushed her, causing her to fall backwards on a grass patch in front of the Watermark condominium.
He sat on top of her, pulling at her dress, as she struggled and shouted for help. When the zipper of her dress gave away, exposing her bra, Lim grabbed her breast. He then tried to pull down her panties but she resisted by pulling it back, tearing the garment.
The woman begged him to let her go, telling him that she was having her period, but he paid no heed and raped her.
When some cars passed by, Lim got off the victim. She tried to retrieve her panties but he flung them even further away. He then pulled her across Rodyk Street and hit her head against a wall at the Robertson 100 condominium.
The woman again begged to be freed as she was having her period but he said this was how he liked it and raped her again. As Lim was putting on his trousers, the woman took off her high heels to flee, but Lim pulled her back and said he wanted to take her home.
Thinking that she could lead him to her apartment where she could seek help from the security guard, she suggested that they go to her home instead. Meanwhile, a female security guard at The Inspira condominium called the police after seeing Lim on top of the crying victim.
When Lim and the victim reached River Valley Close, he suddenly pinned her to the ground near lamp-post number 16, forced her to perform oral sex on him and raped her again. This time, the victim managed to escape while he was putting on his trousers.
After running a distance, she stopped a car and told the female driver to send her to the police. As the motorist had difficulty locating the police station, the victim called a friend. The friend called the police and told her to return to River Valley Close. But the driver could not find her way back. In the end, the victim took a taxi, with the car following behind.
When the victim reached River Valley Close, she found police officers at the scene with Lim and immediately pointed him out as the person who had raped her.
The maximum punishment for rape and sexual assault is 20 years' jail as well as caning or a fine. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
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