A 47-year-old Singaporean man accused of breaking into a woman’s apartment and raping her, had told a police officer that he “accidentally slipped” into the alleged victim following a night of drinking in 2017.
According to CNA, Yap Pow Foo, 47, went on trial on Tuesday (Jun 28) for one charge each of rape and house-breaking. He also faces a charge of harassing a woman in a separate case, which is being stood down during the trial.
He is accused of taking the key slipped under the woman’s door to enter her unit to commit rape in the early hours of Jan 30, 2017, According to ST.
WHAT HAPPENED :
On Jan 29, 2017, the victim gathered with three other women and two men in her home, where they played mahjong and drank alcohol to celebrate Chinese New Year.
In the evening, all of them went to a KTV lounge in Bugis. Yap also joined them towards the end of the night, and drove the victim and four other members of the group to their homes at around 12.45am on Jan 30, 2017.
The victim was heavily intoxicated & she was the first to be dropped off at home. She had to be carried by two of her friends.
Yap also found his own way to her apartment separately.
KEY UNDER THE DOOR
After putting the victim to bed, CCTV captured all three people, including Yap, leaving and locking the door behind them. One of the victim’s friends slipped the key under the door, according to the prosecution.
Yap then proceeded to drive the remaining members of the group home. But around 3.05am, he was captured on CCTV returning to and entering the victim’s apartment by himself.
He was seen on CCTV again leaving the victim’s home at about 3.45am. About 25 minutes later, the victim called the police to report a case of rape.
According to CNA, the prosecution’s case is that Yap broke into the victim’s home by extracting the victim’s key from under her door and using it to unlock and enter the apartment. Yap is then suspected of raping the victim while she was unconscious. The victim woke up in the middle of the alleged act to find an unknown man, Yap, on top of her.
Yap was arrested in the afternoon of Jan 30, 2017.
DNA FOUND
According to prosecutors, his DNA was found on the inside of the victim’s shorts and in a swab taken from the victim’s body.
Toxicology tests found that the concentration of alcohol in the victim at the time of the alleged offence would have been consistent with significant mental and physical impairment.
Investigation Outcome :
During investigations, Yap admitted to a police officer that he went back to look for the victim because of her “intimate” behaviour with him earlier that night, according to a statement by the officer read out in court.
Yap claimed that at the KTV lounge, the victim had “hugged him”, told him she was lonely and given him her phone number and “condominium access number”.
He took this as an invitation for companionship.
The court heard that Yap told a police officer that he undressed the woman, whose eyes were open, lay down on the bed with her, and then accidentally slipped into her.
According to the officer’s statement, which was read out in court, Yap said the woman then told him “don’t want”, ST reported.
He told the officer that the woman was hugging him at the karaoke lounge and “signalling” him for companionship.
Yap said that he took off the victim’s clothes, leaving her in her underwear, then laid next to her and started touching her. He then admitted to taking off her undergarments and said he had more intimate contact with her. He claimed that she opened her eyes and looked at him.
The prosecution will lead evidence from 36 witnesses to prove its case against Yap. The victim and four of her friends who were with her that night will testify.
The trial continues with the victim expected to testify in private in the afternoon.
If convicted of rape, Yap faces up to 20 years’ jail and a fine or caning.
If found guilty of house-breaking, he could be jailed for up to five years and fined. As he has past convictions for house-breaking, he may also be caned.
Image : LIANHE ZAOBAO
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