A Singapore court sentenced Indian national Ramalingam Selvasekaran to over 14 years in jail for raping and molesting an 11-year-old girl in his shop. The court rejected his denial and upheld the victim's testimony.
An Indian man living in Singapore has been sentenced to more than 14 years in jail for raping and sexually assaulting a girl inside his shop. The court found his defence weak and upheld the girl's version of the events. The case was reported by The Straits Times and has received wide attention in Singapore.
Incident took place in 2021
The crime took place on October 28, 2021, between 4:40 pm and 5:05 pm, at a provision shop in Jurong West, a residential area in Singapore.
The man, Ramalingam Selvasekaran, owned the shop. An 11-year-old girl had visited it earlier in the day and returned later to buy an ice cream. When she came back, Ramalingam took her to a back room inside the shop and forced her to perform oral sex, according to the court findings.
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How the girl escaped
After the assault, the girl managed to escape from the back room. She ran out and asked a passerby for help. The passerby quickly called the police. The police later arrested Ramalingam and started an investigation.
Charges and trial
Ramalingam was charged with:
- One count of rape (oral)
- Two counts of outrage of modesty (molestation)
On July 7, 2025, he was found guilty on all charges. The judge who heard the case, Justice Aidan Xu, explained that the girl's behaviour during the attack such as not running away immediately was understandable. He said she was still young and may have been scared or in shock.
What Ramalingam said in his defence
In his early statements to police, Ramalingam admitted to hugging the girl, kissing her and engaging in oral sex.
However, he later changed his story, saying he was innocent. He said he had erectile dysfunction and argued that this meant the sexual act could not have taken place. He also pointed out that no DNA evidence was found on the girl.
But the judge did not accept these arguments. Justice Xu said the medical expert clearly explained that oral rape is still possible even if a man has erectile dysfunction.
The final judgment
On July 30, 2025, Ramalingam was sentenced to:
- 14 years, 3 months, and 2 weeks in prison
- 12 strokes of the cane
He told the court that he would appeal the decision. The judge allowed bail but set it at S$80,000 (Singapore dollars). Ramalingam asked the judge to remove his electronic tag and let him skip regular visits to the Police Cantonment Complex. The judge denied both requests.
