SINGAPORE: A man gave his sex partner a bottle of water after lacing it with a drug, thinking it would “enhance sex” if she drank it.
However, the drug Modafinil was a prescription medicine meant for narcolepsy, and it gave the woman side effects including pain and vomiting.
The 28-year-old man, who cannot be named due to a gag order protecting the victim’s identity, was sentenced to 15 months’ jail on Friday (Oct 14).
He pleaded guilty to two charges of giving the woman a stupefying substance with intent to cause hurt and of sending the woman’s private images to his friend.
The court heard that the man was working as a delivery driver at the time. He was in a “casual sexual relationship” with the victim from February 2021.
The man had previously obtained Modafinil from a friend although he did not suffer from narcolepsy.
He knew the drug enhanced wakefulness and he thought it would enhance sex.
Sometime in 2021, the man told the victim that he was having suicidal thoughts, in order to compel her to visit him.
When she got to his home, the man handed her a water bottle. She did not know that he had crushed an unknown quantity of Modafinil in the liquid. He thought the drug would have stimulant effects on the victim and enhance sex for him.
The side effects of Modafinil include headache, blurred vision, insomnia, depression, irritability, a faster heartbeat, abdominal pain, dry mouth and abnormal thinking, said the prosecutor.
After the victim drank the drug-laced water, she felt pain, discomfort, extreme nausea and felt her heart beat faster.
When she asked the accused what he did, he laughed and admitted to putting Modafinil in the water.
The victim and the offender had an on-and-off relationship after that. The offender grew upset because he suspected the victim was meeting other men, even though they were in a non-exclusive arrangement.
Sometime near the end of 2021, the woman blocked the offender as she did not want him to contact her any longer. Despite this, he persisted in trying to do so.
He also vented his frustrations to a friend and said he was going to send the victim’s nudes to the other man he suspected she was seeing.
He sent his friend at least four intimate photos of the woman.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Chong Kee En asked for a jail term of between 12 and 18 months for the drugging charge, and three to four months’ jail for the charge of dissemination of intimate images.
He asked for the jail terms to run consecutively as the offences occurred on different occasions.
The defence asked for a total of 15 months’ jail.
The judge said he took note that administering a stupefying substance to cause hurt is a serious offence. He also noted that the victim was identifiable in the second charge which involved four photos.