G
Gan Ning
Guest
Oct 22, 2010
Jail, caning for rape attempt
By Khushwant Singh
HE WENT to a friend's house to borrow a carom board but found the man's sister alone at home. This gave Anis Abdul Ghani other ideas. The cleaner, 38, was sentenced to eight years in jail and 12 strokes of the cane on Friday for attempting to rape the 29-year-old woman at about 7 am on Sept 30 last year. A second charge of attempted robbery was taken into consideration by Justice Lee Seiu Kin during sentencing.
The woman could not be named to protect her. Once in the flat, Anis said he needed to use the toilet. He returned to the living room with a knife which he found in the kitchen to rob her. She convinced him she did not have any cash at home and that was when he pushed her into her bedroom. After his failed attempt to rape her, he warned her not to go to the police or he would kill himself.
She agreed. After apologising to her, he left the flat. The police were called in and he was arrested the same day. A psychiatric report read out in court revealed that he was sexually attracted to the victim. In another report, Dr Manu Lal of the Institute of Mental Health said that the woman was traumatised for several months after the incident. She felt unsafe at home and would have nightmares frequently.
However, she is now back to normal, said Dr Lal in the report. Anis, who did not have a lawyer, pleaded for the court to impose the minimum sentence of eight years and 12 strokes of the cane. The father of five, aged two to eight, said he was extremely remorseful for what he had done. The judge ordered the sentence to be backdated to Oct 2 last year.
