Man gets 12 years’ jail for sexually assaulting Aussie woman

S Prasanth, a former security guard, pleads guilty to the charges of rape and unnatural sex committed against the 21-year-old victim last year.

The George Town sessions court ordered that both sentences run concurrently from the date of S Prasanth’s arrest. (File pic)

GEORGE TOWN:

A former hotel security guard was sentenced to 12 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane by the sessions court here on Thursday after pleading guilty to raping and committing unnatural sex on an Australian woman last year.

S Prasanth, 26, was given 12 years in jail and eight strokes for the first charge under Section 376(2)(b) of the Penal Code, and 10 years and four strokes for the second charge under Section 377C.

Judge Juraidah Abbas ordered both sentences to run concurrently from the date of arrest.

Deputy public prosecutor Anuarul Hakim Abdul Muen prosecuted, while Arvind Santhanam appeared for the defence.

Prasanth was first charged on July 4 last year. He initially claimed trial on July 31 the same year, before changing his plea to guilty on June 24 this year.

According to the facts of the case, Prasanth approached the victim and her British companion outside a bar in Love Lane at about 3am, offering to drive them to the hospital after the man complained of a headache.

He later forced the man out of the car, drove the woman to a cemetery area near Mount Erskine and sexually assaulted her, while threatening to stab her with a pair of scissors, between 5.20am and 6am.

The woman was found by a passing couple who took her to lodge a police report. Prasanth was arrested the same day. CCTV footage and forensic evidence linked him to the offences. - FMT