SINGAPORE: A man chatted up a woman on a mobile application, using a fake name and occupation and the photo of another man as his display picture.
He then repeatedly offered her money to meet and have sex with him, even though he had only about S$22 in his bank account.
When they met up, he took the woman to his rented home where he strangled, punched and raped her.
Li Jiajie, 32, was sentenced on Friday (Oct 21) to 12 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane.
He pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated rape, with another two charges under the Films Act taken into consideration.
The court heard that Li, a China national, worked as a room attendant at a hotel in Singapore.
In May 2018, he got to know the victim, a 28-year-old woman, on a mobile chat application. Li used a moniker instead of his real name, and the profile picture of another man that he had downloaded online.
He told the victim he was working as an engineer, and repeatedly asked her to “accompany” him for S$2,000.
The victim understood this offer to be for sex, and rejected it. She told him that she was not a prostitute.
The pair continued to chat about other things, talking almost every day. Li told her that he missed her and liked her, and that he would be good to her.
KEPT PRESSING HER TO MEET
He continued to ask her to meet him and increased his offer to S$2,500. He also told her that she might get the courage to meet him after drinking alcohol.
On Jun 8, 2018, Li asked the woman to meet him and she agreed. She asked if he would respect her decision if she changed her mind after meeting – and if he would use protection. He said yes.
On the way to their meeting, Li told her he would pay in cash; she asked for a bank transfer but he said he did not know how to perform one.
In truth, he did not have the money on hand as he had no savings except for about $22 in his bank.
When they met, the victim told Li that he looked very different from his profile picture. He responded that there was no difference.
They walked to his flat, arriving after midnight. Li led the woman into a small room and closed the door.
She asked for money, but he did not respond. The woman then said she wanted to go home and booked a Grab ride, but Li refused to let her go. The Grab driver cancelled the ride when she did not show up.
REFUSED TO LET HER GO
The victim then told Li she would call the police, but he threatened her in turn, saying he would tell the police she had prostituted herself.
He then forced the woman down such that her head hit the wall twice, before forcing himself on her.
The victim shouted and scratched Li, but Li strangled her neck and punched her head forcefully a few times. He then raped her.
The victim then tried to talk Li into letting her go, but he told her she could go home only after he was finished. Li raped her again.
After this, the victim wanted to bathe, but Li followed her into the shower. The victim was too dazed to react.
Li insisted on taking the lift down with her and told her that if she called the police, he would see her at the police station.
The victim booked a Grab ride, but the driver could not find her, so she flagged down a taxi. She decided to go to a police station.
Li asked her to send him her location, but she did not reply.
As the police station was closed, the victim called 999. Police officers went down to her location and she told them she had been assaulted and raped.
The victim later went to the hospital for a medical examination. The doctor found a 2cm bruise on her forehead, a 12cm by 10cm bruise on her neck and redness in her pelvic area.
Li was arrested at his workplace. An examination at the Institute of Mental Health found that he was of sound mind.
The prosecution said there was deception in this case, and pointed to how Li strangled the victim with such force so as to cause a 12cm by 10cm bruise on her neck.
The defence said Li intended to make full payment and was going to take a loan from his colleague and pay the victim the next day.
Li requested to speak to the court directly, and apologised to the victim and her family in Mandarin, saying it was a “moment of impulse”.
“I would also like to apologise to the Government officials because of the crimes I have committed. I might have caused inconvenience to their work,” he said.
He said he hoped for a chance as he had a mother back in China who was waiting for him to go home.
“I wish I can go home early to take care of her,” he said.
The judge told him that personal family circumstances generally do not constitute a mitigating factor.