Ankit Sharma convicted for forcibly molesting a 31-year-old woman in a nursing room at Changi City Point mall
An Indian national and permanent resident of Singapore, Ankit Sharma, was sentenced on Monday to four years in jail and six strokes of the cane for molesting a female technology recruiter at a shopping mall, reported gujaratsamachar.com.
According to Channel News Asia, Sharma was convicted on one charge of aggravated outrage of modesty. Deputy Public Prosecutor Sheldon Lim stated that the meeting had begun professionally, discussing the employment of Sharma and his wife. However, after ordering drinks, Sharma asked intrusive and prying questions about the victim’s personal and sexual life.
The incident occurred on March 1, 2023, when Sharma dragged the woman into a nursing room and committed the assault despite a professional meeting initially underway
When the victim excused herself to use the toilet and attempted to inform her boyfriend, Sharma followed her, asked if she was “an impromptu person,” and then forcefully pulled her into a nursing room, closed the door, grabbed her arms, and kissed her.
Sharma denied the allegations, claiming the encounter was consensual and that she had suggested going to the room, asserting she became upset only after he commented on her breath.
The court rejected his defence, noting the act involved “extremely high” sexual exploitation with “intense and prolonged” intrusion. Prosecutors had recommended a strong sentence, and while Sharma’s lawyer requested three to three-and-a-half years with fewer cane strokes, the court imposed four years in prison along with six cane strokes, within the statutory limits of two to ten years imprisonment with caning.