Man accused of raping maid, trying to kill her
By Teo Xuanwei, TODAY | Posted: 21 February 2012 0626 hrs
SINGAPORE: A man who allegedly raped an Indonesian maid twice, then tried to kill her by throwing her off the second-storey flat where she works, has claimed trial.
The man, 44, also faces a trespassing charge and another of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.
The 26-year-old victim survived the ordeal and took the stand on Monday on the first day of the trial in the High Court. She gave evidence in-camera, which means the media and the public were not allowed in the courtroom.
No details that could lead to the identification of the victim can be published, the court also ordered.
According to the prosecution's opening statement, on the morning of Sept 9, 2009, there was a power trip in the maid's employers' home, and the accused helped to restore the electricity supply to the flat.
Later that afternoon, when the maid was alone at home, the man was said to have rung the doorbell and asked her if he could watch her have lunch. The woman rejected him and shut the door on him.
Later in the afternoon, there was another power trip. When the maid tried to get out of the flat to reset the circuit box along the corridor, the accused allegedly approached her and asked her what the problem was.
He then pushed her into the flat and shut the door, said prosecutors.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Charlene Tay Chia told the court the maid will recount how she tried to escape but was caught by the accused.
The maid screamed and struggled but could not overcome the accused, who dragged her into the master bedroom and raped her, said Ms Chia.
He then allegedly dragged her by the hair into another bedroom and raped her again.
After that, the accused was said to have dragged her to the kitchen by the hair, where he took a pair of scissors and placed them on her neck. He also wound a raffia string around her neck to strangle her, the court heard.
Ms Chia said the maid then lost consciousness. By the time she awoke, she was already on a hospital bed.
Ms Chia said a total of 49 witnesses would be called.
Among them were two police officers who arrived at the void deck of the block where the maid worked at around 2.40pm that day. They will testify that the maid was lying face up on the ground floor, covered with a piece of batik cloth, injured and groaning in pain. She also identified her assailant to them.
Other police investigators will also be called to the stand to testify that the flat in which the maid worked was in a state of disarray.
Ms Chia said the prosecution would prove that the maid's account of the sequence of events matched the statements given by the accused.
The trial, which has been fixed for six days, continues on Tuesday. - TODAY
