Nov 24, 2004
Serial rapist attacked pregnant woman
He also took nude photos of her and threatened to scar her with
'acid'
By Elena Chong
SHE was early for work and after sorting the papers on her boss'
desk, she went to the toilet at about 8.40am.
The place was empty. But when she opened the door of her cubicle to
leave, the 22-year-old was stunned to see a man blocking her
way.
Suresh Nair Vellayutham shoved her back in and for the next hour,
he raped, molested and photographed her in the nude.
To keep her quiet, the 29-year-old Malaysian used a toy pistol and
a knife to strike terror in her. He also threatened to scar her
face with a bottle of liquid he said was acid.
Her ordeal did not end even when she told him she was pregnant. He
said he did not believe her.
And to continue the torment, Suresh Nair threatened to publish the
lewd pictures on the Internet if she made a police report.
But by the end of the day, the mother-to-be was overwrought and
told a colleague. That was on March 21 last year.
Yesterday, the serial rapist, already caned 24 times and serving a
26-year jail term for raping a foreign flight attendant and
molesting her colleague in their hotel room last year (see other
report), was sentenced to 16 years in jail. It took effect
yesterday. Justice Woo Bih Li also gave him another 16 strokes of
the cane.
Suresh Nair, who has an advanced diploma in computer studies,
pleaded guilty to committing aggravated rape in a Cantonment Road
building and to two other charges. Three other charges were taken
into consideration.
These charges had been levelled against him last year, when he was
accused of attacking the two stewardesses 18 days after his crime
against the pregnant woman.
However, he refused the prosecutor's offer to take them into
consideration, protesting his innocence.
Yesterday, Deputy Public Prosecutor David Khoo gave vivid details
of how Suresh Nair terrorised the woman into kissing him and
performing sexually humiliating acts.
He pointed a toy pistol at her left temple and when she struggled,
he fished out a kitchen knife from his black sling bag and held it
to her neck. Terrified for her life, she stopped screaming.
Suresh Nair then took out a water bottle with some liquid and a
white powdery substance floating on it. He threatened to throw the
'acid' on her face if she screamed again. Fearing he might do it,
she did not scream or retaliate anymore.
After taking out a digital camera from a pouch, he told her in
English that he wanted to have sex with her. But when some people
entered the toilet, he whispered to her to pretend she was having a
conversation on a mobile phone.
A while later, her assistant manager called out her name and asked
if she was feeling all right. She did as she was told by Suresh
Nair and said she was not feeling well.
When the assistant manager left, he photographed her in various
stages of undress. It was then that she said she was
pregnant.
After raping her, he forced her to perform further lewd acts on
him. He then apologised to her and told her to dress up and remain
in the cubicle for 15 minutes longer.
A tip-off led to his arrest at the void deck of an HDB block in
Tampines on April 11 last year. He led police to his girlfriend's
home, where they found his bag and the 'weapons' he had used.
Yesterday, the victim sat sombrely as DDP Khoo described the
attack. She did not stay for the sentencing.
Now a full-time mother, she declined to be interviewed.
