Indian national sentenced to 16 years' jail for raping university student in Singapore
Singapore (PTI): A court in Singapore has sentenced a 26-year-old Indian national to 16 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane for raping a university student in 2019.
It also took charges of kidnapping and theft into consideration for the sentencing.
The TODAY newspaper reported that after stalking the university student as she walked to a bus stop late at night, Chinnaiah, who worked as a cleaner, pointed her in the wrong direction and then punched her before dragging her to a forested area and raping her.
The woman was so badly injured with facial bruising and other injuries that her then boyfriend did not recognise her upon visiting her at the hospital.
The rape took place on May 4, 2019. The court heard that the reason for the case had taken some four years to get to it was that Chinnaiah's mental condition had required several rounds of psychiatric evaluation.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Kayal Pillay said that while Chinnaiah was sexually assaulting the student, she had tried to pull his hand away from her throat as she was unable to breathe. But Chinnaiah responded by tightening his grip, causing her to wheeze further, Mr Pillay said.
He also told her to keep quiet and that no one would hear her. Mr Pillay said that after he raped her, Chinnaiah started rummaging through her belongings. He took her water bottle and drank from it before he poured the remainder of the water over the lower half of her body.
Once he walked away, the student immediately went to her bag where she found her scissors and held them in her hand in case Chinnaiah returned, The DPP said.
While she was unable to locate her spectacles, she was able to find her mobile phone to speak to her boyfriend. He later contacted her friend who called the police.
The DPP said after police arrived, the student was taken to a hospital for a sexual assault examination where she was found to have sustained multiple scratches, bruises and scrapes, including strangulation marks over her neck area.
Chinnaiah was arrested on May 5, 2019.
Seeking 15 to 17 years' jail and 16 to 18 strokes of the cane, the prosecution argued that the degree of violence used to facilitate the rape was extreme and his attack had been unrelenting and vicious.
DPP Yvonne Poon also said that the attack was not spur of the moment as Chinnaiah had numerous interactions with the victim and had directed her away from her last possible route to safety.
Describing Chinnaiah's pre-meditation as "insidious", DPP Poon added that the man had made serious efforts to avoid detection by making his presence less apparent as he followed her.
The DPP also referred to the university student's victim impact statement dated July 13, 2023, where she states she still has nightmares and flashbacks, thoughts of suicide, and a sense of shame.
For aggravated rape, Chinnaiah could have been jailed for up to 20 years with no fewer than 12 strokes of the cane.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
===================
The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
