'Woman' pleads
guilty to sexually assaulting underage girl with sex toy
SINGAPORE: In a first-of-its-kind case in Singapore, a woman has
pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting an underage girl. The catch:
Zunika Ahmad had been living as an Indonesian man and has two
wives.
Zunika, 39, pleaded guilty to seven charges on Monday (Dec 7),
including four charges for using a sex toy to sexually assault her
13-year-old neighbour. Fourteen other similar charges will be taken
into consideration during her sentencing.
It was only after her arrest and remand at Changi Women's Prison
that Zunika was diagnosed with gender dysphoria, or "a strong
desire to be male". Zunika had assumed "a role as a male to the
extent of obtaining a fictitious identity and being married to
females", a psychiatric report stated.
A CONSENSUAL AFFAIR
Zunika met her victim in 2011,
when she moved into a flat a few units away from the victim, along
with her two wives and a daughter. Zunika, who looks like a man and
has a deep voice, presented herself as an Indonesian man to the
victim and her family.
Zunika's wives were also under the impression that they were
married to an Indonesian man. In fact, her first wife became
pregnant after having an affair, but told Zunika the baby was hers.
As she wanted to have a family, and was unwilling to reveal her
true identity, Zunika went along with the lie.
Over time, Zunika and her family became friendly with the
victim's family, and the now 16-year-old and her siblings often
stayed over at Zunika's flat to spend time with the latter's
daughter. Zunika and the victim subsequently grew close and
developed feelings for each other.
Their sexual relationship started in February 2012 and continued
for almost two years. Although the acts were committed with the
girl's consent, they are still illegal as the age of consent in
Singapore is 16 years.
AFFAIR ENDED BY GUILT
Zunika ended the relationship
in December 2013 after feeling guilty over the affair. The abuse
came to light in March 2014, when the girl made a police report
after an argument with Zunika.
Several medical reports produced in court on Monday similarly
concluded that while Zunika is biologically female, her
psychological state is that of a male. Doctors also did not find
that Zunika required any psychiatric treatment.
The only treatment necessary is sex reassignment surgery, her
lawyer Ms N Sudha Nair said. The lawyer cited a psychiatric report
by Dr Tommy Tan, which also found that Zunika's risk of
re-offending is low.
Ms Nair told the court that Zunika intends to undergo surgery
after serving her sentence, and continue living with her wives and
daughter, who have come to terms with her transsexualism.
Deputy Public Prosecutor John Lu said the case is "so unique, I
can't find a parallel for it". However, he urged the court to
impose a sentence of eight years' jail based on relatively similar
cases.
Ms Nair said a jail term of under three years would be fair,
considering Zunika's unique circumstances and the fact that she is
remorseful. According to Dr Tan's report, "Zunika had no wish to
have her true gender to be discovered. ... She knows that if she
had not committed the offences, she could continue living normally
as a man".
Citing the complicated and unprecedented nature of the case,
Justice Kan Ting Chiu said he would take some time to study the
facts, and hand down a sentence at a later date.
Zunika is also facing four charges for using a forged Indonesian
passport, one charge under the Registry of Births and Deaths Act
for registering herself as the father of her first wife's daughter
and one charge for slapping the victim in March 2014. These charges
are still before the courts and will be dealt with
separately.
- CNA/kk