SINGAPORE: A man who allegedly raped an Indonesian
maid twice, then tried to kill her by throwing her off the
second-storey flat where she works, has claimed
trial.
Ravindran Annamalai, 44, also faces a trespassing
charge and another of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous
weapon.
The 26-year-old victim survived the ordeal and took
the stand on Monday on the first day of the trial in the High
Court. She gave evidence in-camera, which means the media and the
public were not allowed in the courtroom.
No details that could lead to the identification of the victim can
be published, the court also ordered.
According to the prosecution's opening statement, on the morning of
Sept 9, 2009, there was a power trip in the maid's employers' home,
and Ravindran helped to restore the electricity supply to the
flat.
Later that afternoon, when the maid was alone at home, Ravindran
was said to have rung the doorbell and asked her if he could watch
her have lunch. The woman rejected him and shut the door on
him.
Later in the afternoon, there was another power trip. When the maid
tried to get out of the flat to reset the circuit box along the
corridor, Ravindran allegedly approached her and asked her what the
problem was.
He then pushed her into the flat and shut the door, said
prosecutors.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Charlene Tay Chia told the court the maid
will recount how she tried to escape but was caught by
Ravindran.
The maid screamed and struggled but could not overcome Ravindran,
who dragged her into the master bedroom and raped her, said Ms
Chia.
He then allegedly dragged her by the hair into another bedroom and
raped her again.
After that, Ravindran was said to have dragged her to the kitchen
by the hair, where he took a pair of scissors and placed them on
her neck. He also wound a raffia string around her neck to strangle
her, the court heard.
Ms Chia said the maid then lost consciousness. By the time she
awoke, she was already on a hospital bed.
Ms Chia said a total of 49 witnesses would be called.
Among them were two police officers who arrived at the void deck of
the block where the maid worked at around 2.40pm that day. They
will testify that the maid was lying face up on the ground floor,
covered with a piece of batik cloth, injured and groaning in pain.
She also identified her assailant to them.
Other police investigators will also be called to the stand to
testify that the flat in which the maid worked was in a state of
disarray.
Ms Chia said the prosecution would prove that the maid's account of
the sequence of events matched the statements given by
Ravindran.
The trial, which has been fixed for six days, continues on
Tuesday.
- TODAY