Man convicted of following woman home and molesting her pleads guilty to stealing chocolate, drink

[beyond]

SINGAPORE: A man who was found guilty of following a drunk woman home and telling her he wanted to rape her pleaded guilty on Thursday (Apr 4) to stealing chocolate and cursing at the police.

Gunaselan Muthuram, 27, stole the sweet treat and a drink while on bail during the trial for the offences committed against the 20-year-old woman, the court heard.

The former navy technician came across the woman appearing drunk at a bus stop outside the Zouk club in the early hours of Nov 5, 2015.

When he saw that she was leaving in a taxi, he tailed her in another cab, giving the driver her address that he had overheard from her friend.

At the foot of the woman's block, Gunaselan paid for her cab fare by posing as her friend, even though the woman told the driver that he was not her acquaintance. Gunaselan then followed her into the lift and took it to the sixth floor with her.

Once there, Gunaselan dragged her into a stairwell directly opposite the lift and asked for the taxi fare, which she gave to him.

He then kissed her all over her face, pulled down her top and molested her, before he told her: "I want to rape you."

The woman managed to break free and get home, telling Gunaselan loudly to leave her alone. He followed her closely, and she rang the doorbell of her home repeatedly until her father came to the door.

Crying, the woman told her father in Mandarin: "He touched me."
 
Her father chased after Gunaselan and called the police. Gunaselan was arrested and claimed trial to the offences.

STOLE CHOCOLATE, 100 PLUS DRINK WHILE ON BAIL DURING TRIAL

While on bail for the trial, Gunaselan went to a Giant supermarket in Redhill in the wee hours of May 27, 2017.

He stole two Kinder Bueno White chocolate bars worth S$3.20 and a S$1.15 100PLUS isotonic drink. Police found him at a bus stop in Redhill after a report was made about the theft.

When the police officers tried to arrest him, Gunaselan resisted violently and shouted: "No don't arrest me, **** you!"

He was eventually subdued by the officers with the help of two passers-by and has been in remand since.

Gunaselan pleaded guilty on Thursday to one charge of using abusive words on a police officer, with another charge of theft taken into consideration. He was also convicted last week of two counts of aggravated molest and one count of criminal intimidation.

He is set to be sentenced for his crimes on Apr 24. He faces between two years and 10 years' jail and caning for aggravated outrage of modesty; up to two years' jail, fine, or both for criminal intimidation; up to seven years' jail and a fine for theft; and up to a year's jail and a maximum fine of S$5,000 for using abusive words on the police.

 

[ODACHEK]