Fortune teller gets 12 years' jail and caning for rape
AsiaOne
Monday, Aug 27, 2012
SINGAPORE - A fortune teller was sentenced to 12 years' jail and six strokes of the cane for raping a teenage girl.
Siah Kwang Yung raped the teen in her own bedroom on the pretext of conducting demon exorcism rites.
According to Shin Min Daily, the victim's mother was at Waterloo Street in September 2011 when she was approached by someone who told her that she was down in luck and recommended she see a fortune teller.
She was then led to see Siah, who told her that she was pestered by spirits and that there were demons in her flat and offered to visit.
At the flat, he told the woman that the demons which resided in her could come to harm her18-year-old daughter and that there were three evil spirits in the daughter's room. He said that he needed to perform rituals to remove the demons.
Some days later, Siah said he needed to perform the ritual and told the girl's mother to stay in a different room or her daughter could be in danger.
He then brought the girl into her bedroom and told the three men in her family to remain in the living room and not to enter the room even if they heard any sounds. He then raped the girl.
The girl had struggled violently initially but soon gave up as she did not want her family members to see her being raped.
After the incident, the girl told her family, who prevented Siah from leaving the flat and alerted the police.
Siah previously ran a makeshift stall outside a Chinese temple along Waterloo Street.
Made multiple advances
Prior to raping her, Siah had entered the girl's room on one occasion and embraced her in front of her mother, the Chinese paper reported.
Feeling uncomfortable, the girl pushed him away.
According to the Shin Min article, the man requested that the girl remove her clothes for a ritual but her mother did not allow it.
Siah then tried to take advantage of the girl when her mother was not at home but she managed to escape from him.
Traumatised
According to psychiatric evaluations, the victim has been under tremendous pressure since the incident.
Shin Min reported that she worries about being inflicted with sexually transmitted diseases and getting pregnant. As a result, she has been having nightmares and is afraid of being in the dark or left alone.
She also felt embarrassed when relating the incident to the police during investigations and is terrified that her rapist might come looking for her.
The girl also indicated that she was hurt and angry that her mother had given Siah an opportunity to commit the crime.
Not the first time
This was not the first time the 40-year-old has been accused of violating a girl's modesty.
The Chinese daily reported that he had sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl with down syndrome by forcing anal and oral sex on her in 2003. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison for the crime in 2006.
Siah has been married twice before, and is listed by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) as the chairman of two registered companies.
Shin Min reported that Siah shed tears in court on Monday. He also told the court that he had been unemployed and homeless, adding that his wife had conned him of his money and cheated on him.
Siah said that he was mentally unstable and had been admitted to the Institute of Mental Health previously.
[email][email protected][/EMAIL]
AsiaOne
Monday, Aug 27, 2012
SINGAPORE - A fortune teller was sentenced to 12 years' jail and six strokes of the cane for raping a teenage girl.
Siah Kwang Yung raped the teen in her own bedroom on the pretext of conducting demon exorcism rites.
According to Shin Min Daily, the victim's mother was at Waterloo Street in September 2011 when she was approached by someone who told her that she was down in luck and recommended she see a fortune teller.
She was then led to see Siah, who told her that she was pestered by spirits and that there were demons in her flat and offered to visit.
At the flat, he told the woman that the demons which resided in her could come to harm her18-year-old daughter and that there were three evil spirits in the daughter's room. He said that he needed to perform rituals to remove the demons.
Some days later, Siah said he needed to perform the ritual and told the girl's mother to stay in a different room or her daughter could be in danger.
He then brought the girl into her bedroom and told the three men in her family to remain in the living room and not to enter the room even if they heard any sounds. He then raped the girl.
The girl had struggled violently initially but soon gave up as she did not want her family members to see her being raped.
After the incident, the girl told her family, who prevented Siah from leaving the flat and alerted the police.
Siah previously ran a makeshift stall outside a Chinese temple along Waterloo Street.
Made multiple advances
Prior to raping her, Siah had entered the girl's room on one occasion and embraced her in front of her mother, the Chinese paper reported.
Feeling uncomfortable, the girl pushed him away.
According to the Shin Min article, the man requested that the girl remove her clothes for a ritual but her mother did not allow it.
Siah then tried to take advantage of the girl when her mother was not at home but she managed to escape from him.
Traumatised
According to psychiatric evaluations, the victim has been under tremendous pressure since the incident.
Shin Min reported that she worries about being inflicted with sexually transmitted diseases and getting pregnant. As a result, she has been having nightmares and is afraid of being in the dark or left alone.
She also felt embarrassed when relating the incident to the police during investigations and is terrified that her rapist might come looking for her.
The girl also indicated that she was hurt and angry that her mother had given Siah an opportunity to commit the crime.
Not the first time
This was not the first time the 40-year-old has been accused of violating a girl's modesty.
The Chinese daily reported that he had sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl with down syndrome by forcing anal and oral sex on her in 2003. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison for the crime in 2006.
Siah has been married twice before, and is listed by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) as the chairman of two registered companies.
Shin Min reported that Siah shed tears in court on Monday. He also told the court that he had been unemployed and homeless, adding that his wife had conned him of his money and cheated on him.
Siah said that he was mentally unstable and had been admitted to the Institute of Mental Health previously.
[email][email protected][/EMAIL]
