On Monday, a 46-year-old Indian national and Singapore permanent resident was sentenced to four years imprisonment and six strokes with the cane, in cases of molesting a woman in a nursing room at a shopping mall.
Channel News Asia reported that Ankit Sharma was found guilty of one case of aggravated outrage of modesty of molesting a 31-year-old technology specialist recruiter after dragging her into a nursing room in Changi City Point mall on March 1, 2023.
Singapore Court Jails Indian National for Molestation
This was the first time that the victim met Sharma that evening when a colleague posted his profile on the same to her.
The court heard that the meeting started as professional discussions, then became uncomfortable when Sharma started sexual talk and posed intrusive personal questions as the group had drinks at a bar, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sheldon Lim.
After the woman went to the toilet and later came back, Sharma would wait outside and drag her to a nearby nursing room and kiss her aggressively and hold her back and attempt to have sex with her against her will.
Changi City Point Molestation Case
Ankit Sharma denied the allegations, saying that the lady had agreed and proposed visiting the nursing room. His defence claimed that she voluntarily approached him, but became angry because he commented on her bad breath.
The court rejected the defence, finding Sharma guilty, with the prosecution claiming the sexual exploitation was extremely high and that the intrusion was fierce and protracted.
Ankit Sharma was sentenced to between two and 10 years in jail and cane across the offence. His attorney wanted a light sentence of three to three-and-a-half years to fewer cane strokes, but the court agreed to the request by the prosecution to give him at least four and six strokes in the court.
