Indian Jailed, Caned For Sexually Assaulting Minor in Singapore

The man courted a 12-year-old girl with gifts, called her “wife” and groomed her to engage in sexual acts with him.

Udhayakumar Dhakshinamoorthy, a Mini-Mart worker, courted a 12-year-old girl with gifts and called her his “wife.”

(Photo: Erum Gour/The Quint)

A 31-year-old Indian man was sentenced to 13 years in jail and 12 strokes of cane in Singapore after he pleaded guilty to charge of sexual assault of a minor and two charges of attempted statutory rape, IANS reported.

Udhayakumar Dhakshinamoorthy, a Mini-Mart worker courted a 12-year-old girl with gifts and called her his “wife”, grooming her to engage in intrusive sexual acts with him over a period of three months in 2016.

Announcing the sentence at the High Court on Thursday, 10 January, Judicial Commissioner Pang Khang Chau said that Udhayakumar had exploited the innocence and naivety of the girl and morally corrupted her, reported IANS.

Four other charges were also considered during the hearing, the report said.

The offence took place between September and December 2016 and came to light after Dhakshinamoorthy’s pregnant girlfriend found a nude video of the minor girl on his phone.

According to the report, Dhakshinamoorthy first approached the girl for sex in an isolated stairway. When the girl said she was not sure what sex was, he responded that he would teach her.

The man admitted that he tried to have sex with the girl on two occasions, but failed.

After that, he gave the girl 50 Singapore dollars, ended their "relationship" and no longer allowed her to take things from the Mini-Mart for free.

"This proved his previous generosity was merely a facade to get the girl to have sex with him," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Gail Wong.

Dhakshinamoorthy began working at the Mini-Mart in a housing estate in September 2016. During their first chat, he asked the girl for a nude selfie of herself, and she complied, according to the report.

After this, he would let her take ice cream and toys from the Mini-Mart without paying. The report also says that the man also took the minor to various places to engage in "petting".

“He used to give her between 5 and 10 Singapore dollars after each session. This escalated to more intrusive sexual acts, including attempts at sexual intercourse,”

Singapore High Court 

He also started calling the minor "wife" and told her he wanted to marry her, while the girl called him "uncle", according to the report.

During the period, Dhakshinamoorthy also started dating a woman. In May 2017, the woman found the video of the minor girl in her school uniform exposing herself, on the man’s phone. She then lodged a police report against Dhakshinamoorthy.