A 42-year-old Indian-origin man was sentenced to jail for 13 years and four weeks in Singapore on Monday, on charges of raping a runaway 17-year-old girl. The accused was identified as Raj Kumar Bala, who worked at a bar at Dunlop Street in the Little India district.
Bala would also receive nine strokes of the cane for committing the crime.
According to his defense lawyer, Bala was asked to be released on bail pending appeal.
During a hearing, the court learnt that the survivor was 17 years old in February 2020, when she ran away from the Singapore Girls' Home.
She found out about a job opportunity at Bala's Don Bar and Bistro through another runaway who was working there.
The other runaway was also sexually assaulted by Bala in a charge that stood down for the time being.
The survivor went down to the bar and met Bala for an interview, who described the job duties to her, including serving customers and making drinks. He offered her the role, saying she could stay at the bar with other runaways.
The survivor worked at the bar for a few days, but police received a tip-off about people who absconded and worked there.
The survivor, along with another girl, fled the bar to escape a police raid on February 22, 2020.
Later, they were picked up by Bala, who drove them to his condominium, telling them they could stay there, before drinking alcohol with the girls.
He raped the survivor while she was heavily intoxicated and also engaged in sex acts with the other girl.
The incident came to light after the survivor surrendered herself to the home in July 2020.
The survivor's lawyer told the court there was "considerable personal harm" inflicted on her, and that she blamed herself for being in an intoxicated state, thus leading to her rape.
Her testimony in court, which was corroborated by her former boyfriend, illustrated how the trauma from her past would be revived in a way that negatively affects her well-being, the judge noted.
The court also learnt that Bala knew the survivor was on the run from the police and was dependent on him for income and shelter.
Bala faces other pending charges, along with 22 more charges related to five other victims, mainly for sex offences.
According to news agency PTI, Bala is accused of raping and molesting a victim identified in court documents as B1, raping and sexually assaulting a victim identified as B5 and raping, molesting and threatening another victim identified as B6.
He is also accused of sexually penetrating a minor under the age of 16, identified as B7, and molesting and causing alarm to another victim, identified as B8.
