Did he offer ride, then rape and rob her?

Did he offer ride, then rape and rob her?

For about an hour, she waited for a cab at Liang Court in the wee hours of the morning but with no luck.

So when a stranger drove up and offered her a ride, she accepted it.

He then drove her to a bridge along Kallang Bahru, where he allegedly robbed and raped her.

He also allegedly kicked her out of his car before making off with her handbag and valuables.

Haliffie Mamat, 24, a storeman, is now on trial over rape and robbery charges.

He denies raping the woman on the morning of May 4, 2013.

Yesterday, the prosecution said in its opening statement that the victim, who was then 34 and working for a logistics company, was waiting at the taxi stand near Liang Court at about 5am that day.

The woman, who cannot be named due to a court order to protect her identity, then decided to try her luck on River Valley Road.

Haliffie was allegedly observing her and planning to rob her. He then drove up to her and offered to drive her further up the road where it would be easier to get a cab.

She accepted and climbed into the front passenger seat of his black Proton Savvy.

He then allegedly offered to send her home. Again, she agreed and dozed off in the car.

VIOLENT

She woke up about five to 10 minutes later and realised the car had stopped on a bridge along Kallang Bahru.

The prosecution said that Haliffie then stopped her from alighting and threw her handbag to the backseat.

He became violent and climbed on top of her.

When she freed her right hand from his grip, he was said to then hit her hand against something hard, causing her to wince in pain.

He allegedly used her left shoe to hit her and then raped her.

After he was done, he allegedly got back into the driver's seat and drove for a short while before reaching over to the front passenger door, opening it and kicking her out of the car.

He then drove off with her Louis Vuitton Palermo handbag - which was valued at $1,630.

Her bag was said to have contained a Louis Vuitton purse valued at $700, two Samsung mobile phones worth about $1,300, a Chanel make-up set valued at $240, a bottle of Bvlgari perfume valued at $130, two credit cards and $300 cash.

Injured and stranded without any money, she hailed a taxi and boarded it.

She told the driver she had been raped and that she wanted to go to a police station.

Haliffie was eventually traced and arrested by the police when he sold a mobile phone that was in the bag.

Yesterday, the defence told the court it would also be disputing the contents of the victim's bag.

The prosecution will be calling 14 witnesses to the stand during the course of the eight-day trial, which continues today. The prosecution will also present evidence on the victim's injuries.

They also said that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after the incident and that Haliffie's DNA was found in her nail clippings and left shoe strap and sole.

If found guilty of rape, Haliffie faces between eight and 20 years' jail and can be given at least 12 strokes of the cane.

If convicted of robbery, he faces between three and 14 years' jail and at least 12 strokes of the cane.


This article was first published on May 19, 2015.
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