'She had bad breath': Indian claims sexual assault accusation untrue
What's the story
Ankit Sharma, a 46-year-old Indian national and Singapore permanent resident, has been sentenced to four years in prison and six strokes of the cane for molesting a woman at Changi City Point mall. The incident took place on March 1, 2023, when Sharma met the victim, a 31-year-old technology specialist recruiter, for a professional meeting. During their meeting over drinks, Sharma made sexual advances, which made the situation uncomfortable.
Legal proceedings
Sharma's defense claimed victim interacted with him voluntarily
When the woman went to the restroom and then returned, Sharma dragged her into a nearby nursing room, where he forced a kiss on her, held her back, and made aggressive sex overtures despite her protests, according to Deputy Public Prosecutor Sheldon Lim. Sharma denied the charges, claiming that the victim had consented to go to the nursing room. His defense argued that she interacted with him voluntarily but got upset after he commented on her bad breath.
Sentence details
Prosecution described sexual exploitation as 'extremely high'
The court, however, rejected Sharma's defense and found him guilty of aggravated outrage of modesty. The prosecution described the sexual exploitation as "extremely high" and the intrusion as "intense and prolonged." Sharma was sentenced to four years in prison with six strokes of the cane, despite his lawyer seeking a lighter sentence of three to three-and-a-half years with fewer cane strokes.