A 54-year-old man who has been in and out of jail since 1988, convicted of trying to rape a female tourist in Singapore.
As per the court documents, the man, Isa Ahmad completed his 14 years of the jail sentence and soon after his release he tried to rape a tourist at the Hilton Singapore and later robbed another tourist. The convict pleaded guilty to one count each of attempted aggravated rape and robbery on Wednesday, October 23.
During the sentencing, Deputy Public Prosecutor Gregory Gan urged the court to call for a report to assess Isa's suitability for preventive detention (PD). He also sought for a maximum sentence mentioning the seriousness of the offences and criminal history of Isa, who was a housekeeper at Orchard Hotel Singapore.
The DPP also told the court that Isa's re-offending almost five months after his release showed that the previous sentences had failed to deter him from criminal conduct.
In March 2017, Isa saw his first victim, who was then 27. The female was returning to the Hilton when the convict followed her into the hotel.
When the woman was entering her room Isa grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth with a purple towel, said DPP Gan.
Isa told her that he wanted to make love to her and then forcefully kissed her. He dragged the woman onto the bed by her hair and pressed a pillow on her face. But when the victim lied to Isa while saying that someone was returning to the room soon, the convict fled, and the victim immediately called hotel security.
But he returned once again to retrieve his towel that he had left behind. Later he stole a white towel from another hotel and went to the nearby Tang Plaza as soon as he left Hilton.
After police were alerted to this incident, the unnamed woman victim was taken to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital, as she was found to have injuries, including a bruised right elbow.
In the second case, he targeted, then 48-year-old housewife who was also on holiday in Singapore. She saw Isa inside the lift at the seventh storey of Tang Plaza and was suspicions when the accused did not get out despite it being the topmost floor and then stood behind her as the lift descended.
After the door opened on the fifth floor he tried to cover her neck and mouth with the white towel. The woman tried to shout for help while trying to fend off Isa with her handbag and mobile phone. But he grabbed her phone before she dashed out of the lift.
Later police checked the CCTV footages at Hilton as well as Tang Plaza and arrested Isa outside Orchard Hotel the next day.
During the hearing, the court came to know that Isa had committed several offences, including armed robbery. He was first convicted in 1988. Later in 2002, Isa was given 14 years of PD and 24 strokes after committing robbery.
The defence lawyer Mr K.V. Sudeep Kumar asked for 12 years' jail while stating that his client has erectile dysfunction and could not have committed rape. He also mentioned that Isa was orphaned at a young age and lived with his stepmother.
However, Isa is expected to return in court on November 12.
