'Worst serial rapist' who spiked victims' drinks gets 37 1/2 years' jail, 24 strokes
PUBLISHED ONMay 27, 2014 11:17 AM
SINGAPORE - Azuar Ahamad, dubbed by a prosecutor as "the worst serial rapist ever to be dealt with in Singapore", was also ordered to be given 24 strokes of the cane.
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ABOUT THE CASE
Former logistics executive Azuar Ahamad admitted in a 2012 trial to raping, sexually assaulting or molesting 22 women.
The women, aged 18 to 38, were unconscious when he attacked them between July 2008 and August 2009.
Azuar, 43, found them through a Facebook application called Speed Date before meeting them at nightspots for drinks. He then raped or molested them in hotels. When they came to, they had no recollection of what had happened.
He is alleged to have spiked their drinks before raping them, but Azuar denied this.
In earlier parts of the ongoing trial-within-a-trial, it was revealed that between 2008 and 2009, Azuar clinic-hopped, telling different stories to different doctors and managed to get about 500 tablets of sedatives, mostly Dormicum and Stilnox. These are sedatives containing benzodiazepine, commonly used to treat anxiety and insomnia.
The prosecution's case is that he used these drugs to knock his victims out before taking advantage of them.
But he disputed this and claimed that they had drunk themselves into a stupor.
Date rapist has a habit of lying
By Elizabeth Law
Prison warden, anti-drug programme executive and human resource executive - these are some of the jobs that date rapist Azuar Ahamad claimed to have held.
Azuar, 43, is accused of a series of offences, including drugging and raping four women between 2008 and 2009 after meeting them through Facebook and going on dates with them. He has pleaded guilty to rape but denied drugging the women.
Taking the stand yesterday, a psychiatrist in private practice, Dr Munidasa Winslow, who examined Azuar in 2012, said in a 2013 medical report that the former logistics executive was a habitual liar and dependent on the sleeping pills Dormicum and Stilnox.
It was previously revealed in court that Azuar had gone to various general practitioners (GPs) across the island to ask for sleeping pills, claiming to be suffering from insomnia and anxiety.
He told each of them different stories: to one, he was a father who had lost his wife and child in a horrific accident; to another, he was a policeman who provided security to VIPs and had problems sleeping at night.
His lies worked - he amassed nearly 500 pills from them.
ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION
Dr Winslow, a defence witness, also noted that Azuar took medication for erectile dysfunction.
During cross-examination by the prosecution, he also elaborated on the "personality disorder" that he felt Azuar had.
He said that during their interview, Azuar had not shown any empathy for the victims or any remorse for what he did.
The convicted rapist also said that after his release from prison in 2006, where he had been jailed for cheating and arson, he took part in group sex parties and had an interest in video sex.
A two-time divorcé, Azuar told the psychiatrist that he had a girlfriend during the offences but they were not sexually active. The relationship ended after his arrest.
Through their hour-long session, Dr Winslow said it was apparent that Azuar had "strong self-interests, and strong indications of a fantasy life".
"(This sort of behaviour) comes with anti-social personality, along with a lack of remorse or regret," he said.
Dr Winslow added that with the personality disorder, it was likely Azuar also exhibited psychopathic traits.
He agreed with Institute of Mental Health psychiatrist John Bosco Lee's report, which said Azuar had an "unspecified personality disorder".
Earlier, he spoke about the effects of alcohol, which could lead to anterograde amnesia, which is the inability to recall events after a certain point.
The victims had earlier testified that they could not remember what happened after drinking an alcoholic drink bought by Azuar. They only came to the following morning.
The alcohol consumption history of each victim was also read out in court, and Dr Winslow agreed that each of them was not "alcohol naive", which meant they had some sort of alcohol tolerance.
They would need to drink about eight to 10 standard drinks in an hour to reach a state where they were unable to remember certain events, Dr Winslow said.
The victims' "blackouts" were most likely caused by a mixture of "alcohol and some other form of intoxicant", he said.
"I was not around (when the victims had their drinks) so I don't know (exactly what sort of drug it was). But it's likely to be midazolam (a sedative marketed under the brand name Dormicum)."
Dr Winslow said it was likely the drug had been added into the women's final drink because its effects set in very quickly.
The trial continues today, with psychiatrist John Bosco Lee taking the stand.
ABOUT THE VICTIMS
All the victims' details are at the time of the attacks.
VICTIM A
Age in 2009: 36
Job: Sales assistant
History
Has been drinking since she was 16, usually goes for drinks like Tequila Pop, Long Island Iced Tea and lychee martinis.
Between 2005 and 2006, she went through a period of depression during which she drank more - a bottle of Long Island Iced Tea or Hooch alcoholic beverage every day. After drinking, she would feel a sense of calm.
On April 24, 2009
She says she sipped three glasses of liquor mixed with water and ice.
She also took an alcoholic shot that Azuar bought for her. After she drank it, she took a few steps and could not remember anything that happened after. She woke up the next morning in Fragrance Hotel.
VICTIM B
Age in 2009: 32
Job: Bank officer
History
She can drink four to five vodkas with mixers or ice. Can also drink four to five glasses of wine without vomiting.
She has never vomited after drinking nor fallen over and injured herself. Victim B has no health problems from drinking.
May 10, 2009
A glass of beer, which she took about half an hour to finish. She had two or three more drinks after that, but she cannot remember if it was wine or vodka. She took two hours to finish them.
After that, Azuar bought her an alcoholic shot. Almost immediately after drinking it, she felt giddy and drowsy. Victim B cannot remember anything that happened after that and she woke up in Fragrance Hotel the next morning.
VICTIM C
Age in 2009: 27
Job: Bank senior associate
History
Started drinking when she was 20 or 21.
Usually has drinks like Malibu (a type of rum), Baileys Irish Cream and various types of alcoholic shots.
Has "mixed" her drinks or drunk more than one type of alcohol in one sitting.
On July 4, 2009
She finished a chocolate martini in about 15 minutes.
Azuar ordered her two alcoholic shots. Victim C took about 10 minutes to finish one of them. She could not remember anything after that and woke up in Fragrance Hotel the next morning.
VICTIM D
Age in 2009: 38
Job: Insurance agent
History
Started drinking regularly between 2005 and 2006, during which her colleagues would take her out for "training sessions".
During these sessions, she would usually drink Martell, a brand of cognac. Her colleagues would mix one to two portions of liquor with either warm water or green tea. She could take up to three drinks within two hours in such sessions.
On two occasions, she drank five to seven glasses of such mixtures and threw up. Both times, she could remember events leading up to her throwing up and also how she got home.
Her other usual drinks included margaritas, bourbon cokes and Baileys Irish Cream.
On March 20, 2009
She had a margarita, which she finished in about 15 minutes.
Half an hour later, Azuar bought her an alcoholic shot. She remembered walking out of the bar about five minutes later and having blurred vision.
She woke up in her own home the next day.
This article was first published on Feb 6, 2014.
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