Keivan Motallebi, 34, received a 10-year prison term and six strokes of the cane after pleading guilty to raping his 26-year-old flatmate. The assault occurred on Jan 31, 2023, shortly after Motallebi moved into the master bedroom of the three-bedroom flat where the victim had lived since 2021. After the victim repeatedly declined his requests to start a relationship, Motallebi forced his way naked into her bedroom and assaulted her despite her protests. The victim reported the incident the following day, prompting his immediate arrest.
Key points
High Court judge Mavis Chionh ruled that committing a sexual assault in a victim's home i…: High Court judge Mavis Chionh ruled that committing a sexual assault in a victim's home is a serious aggravating factor.
The victim alerted authorities the day after the attack, leading to the immediate arrest…: The victim alerted authorities the day after the attack, leading to the immediate arrest of the perpetrator.
The perpetrator carried out the assault after the victim repeatedly rejected his persiste…: The perpetrator carried out the assault after the victim repeatedly rejected his persistent proposals to enter a relationship.
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SINGAPORE - After repeatedly asking his flatmate to be in a relationship with him, a man barged into her room naked and raped her the month that he moved in, in 2023.
On Nov 4, Keivan Motallebi, 34, an Iranian national, was sentenced to 10 years’ jail and six strokes of the cane.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of rape committed against the victim, then 26 years old.
When prosecutors highlighted that his crime was aggravated because the victim was raped in the unit she regarded as her home, Motallebi, who did not have a lawyer, responded that he also lived there.
In sentencing, High Court judge Mavis Chionh said it was beside the point he lived in the same flat.
Justice Chionh noted a sexual assault committed in a victim’s own home is considered aggravating because the home is where a person is entitled to feel the most secure.
The court was told the victim, a foreigner, came to Singapore in 2021 for work, and rented a room in a three-bedroom unit.
Singapore's High Court sentenced Iranian national Keivan Motallebi to a decade behind bars and six strokes of the cane for sexually assaulting his flatmate. The 34-year-old launched the attack in their shared residence after the woman consistently rebuffed his romantic overtures. In handing down the severe punishment, the judge dismissed the defendant's plea for leniency, emphasizing that tenants have an absolute right to feel secure in their own living spaces.
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