Indian man jailed for 14 years in Singapore for raping 11-year-old girl

In a case that has drawn widespread attention, a 58-year-old Indian national has been sentenced to over 14 years in prison in Singapore for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl inside his provision store in Jurong West.

Ramalingam Selvasekaran was convicted by the Singapore High Court on July 7 on three serious charges — rape and two counts of outraging the modesty of a minor.

As he is over the legal threshold of 50 years, he was spared the mandatory caning. Instead, his sentence includes additional prison time in lieu of 15 cane strokes, bringing the total to 14 years, three months, and two weeks.

The assaults took place within a narrow window—between 4:50 p.m. and 5:05 p.m. on October 28, 2021—when the victim, a child, visited Ramalingam’s shop twice in a day, the second time to buy ice cream. According to court documents, Ramalingam lured the girl to a secluded area of the store and committed the assaults, including forcing her to perform oral sex.

After the traumatic incident, the child approached a passerby for help, who immediately alerted police. Ramalingam was arrested and later chose to represent himself during a trial that began on January 16.

Throughout the proceedings, Ramalingam denied the allegations and claimed the girl’s version of events was inconsistent and unbelievable. He also cited his medical condition—erectile dysfunction—as proof that rape could not have occurred, and questioned the lack of CCTV footage showing the victim returning home.

However, Justice Aidan Xu found the victim’s account “clear and convincing,” stating that her behavior after the incident was understandable for someone her age.

The judge dismissed the defence’s arguments, noting that Ramalingam had initially admitted to hugging, kissing, and receiving oral sex from the child in his early police statements—before attempting to retract those admissions.

"The prosecution’s case was proved beyond reasonable doubt," Justice Xu said. The court accepted expert testimony that despite erectile dysfunction, oral rape was still medically possible. The absence of Ramalingam’s DNA was described as a neutral factor and not grounds for acquittal.

During sentencing on July 30, Ramalingam again declared his innocence and said he would appeal the conviction. He was granted bail of SGD 80,000 pending appeal but attempted to bargain with the court to remove his electronic tag and reduce his reporting obligations. Both requests were denied.

He also objected to a prosecution proposal to return SGD 8—taken from his store — to the victim. Justice Xu directed the authorities to examine the matter separately.

Ramalingam's sentencing underscores Singapore’s strict stance on crimes against children, with the court reinforcing that victim testimony, when consistent and credible, carries significant weight even in the absence of physical evidence.