16-1-2025 (SINGAPORE) A 58-year-old shopkeeper stands accused of sexually assaulting a primary school pupil who visited his grocery store in Jurong West, in a case that has shocked the local community.
Ramalingam Selvasekaran faces multiple charges, including rape and molestation, over incidents that allegedly occurred on 28 October 2021. The defendant, who is representing himself without legal counsel, has pleaded not guilty as the trial commenced at the High Court on Thursday.
According to prosecutors, the victim, then a Primary 5 student, first visited the shop after school where the accused offered her a complimentary drink. She later returned to purchase ice cream, at which point the alleged assault took place.
The prosecution contends that Selvasekaran led the young girl to a secluded area of the shop where he allegedly committed various sexual acts against her, including inappropriate touching and forced oral sex, purely to “satisfy his perverted desires”.
Court documents revealed that after fleeing the shop, the distressed victim sought help from a passerby who assisted in alerting the authorities. The Good Samaritan waited with the girl outside the premises until police arrived. Officers subsequently interviewed both parties and collected CCTV footage as evidence.
Though Selvasekaran had initially admitted to the offences during recorded police interviews, he now disputes the accuracy of these recordings and objects to their admission as evidence. The court viewed portions of the footage on Thursday, in which the accused could be seen describing the removal of his face mask to kiss the victim and other sexual acts. He noted that a customer had entered the shop during the incident.
Medical reports indicate that while Selvasekaran was mentally sound at the time, he suffered from mild erectile dysfunction.
Under Singapore’s revised Criminal Law Code, non-consensual oral or anal penetration constitutes rape. If convicted of raping a minor under 14 years of age, the accused faces between 8 to 20 years’ imprisonment and no fewer than 12 strokes of the cane.
