SINGAPORE — Not content with robbing a terrified prostitute thrice his age while armed with a chopper, 17-year-old Mendel See Li Quan then raped the woman before letting her leave his flat.

See had wanted to take revenge on the 53-year-old woman, who had arranged for another prostitute, a Filipina, to turn up at his place but she did not appear in the end.

See had teamed up with a couple — Benjamin Yong and Chow Chia Suan, both 22 at the time — to lure the victim to his flat and rob her.

The trio had plotted ways to steal money from prostitutes to make money, including the rape victim, before they were nabbed the day after the rape.

See, a Malaysian and Singapore permanent resident who turned 19 in July, was sentenced to seven years’ jail and 15 strokes of the cane in the High Court on Monday (Sept 16).

Justice Valerie Thean doubled See’s original bail amount to S$100,000 as he intends to appeal against his sentence.

He pleaded guilty to three charges of rape, robbery by night with common intention, and theft in dwelling with common intention. Eight other charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

Yong and Chow were handed jail terms earlier this year. Yong was given 12 strokes of the cane as well.

Their victims cannot be named due to a court order to protect their identities.

STOLE CASH AND MOBILE PHONES

The court heard that See contacted the 53-year-old woman on Oct 1, 2017 for sexual services at his house.

When the deal with the Filipina turned sour, See contacted the victim again through Chow’s phone the next day. He offered her a substantial amount of S$900 for sex at Yong’s house to ensure that she would personally take up the offer and allow him to teach her a lesson.

As part of the plan, Yong would pose as the client. See and Chow were to appear at the scene as loan sharks and demand money from the victim to pay Yong's debts.

After the victim was lured to a bedroom, See and Chow, who were armed with a chopper and rod, pretended to force their way into Yong's house and demanded that the victim pay off Yong's debts.

Despite the victim denying having any relationship with Yong, See took the woman's bag and pointed the chopper at her, shouting at her not to move. The woman was “frightened for her life”, the court heard.

As Chow rummaged through her belongings, See grabbed the victim's neck and pushed her against the wall. He pointed the chopper in her face and shouted at her to squat down, while Yong remained silent.

See then instructed the victim to strip, and told Chow and Yong to leave the room.

Chow stole S$100 in cash, two mobile phones and a pack of cigarettes from the victim’s bag before she and Yong left.

When the victim was fully naked, See placed the chopper on the ground, removed his clothes and told her to lie down on the floor. He put on a condom from her bag and raped her.

After that, they got dressed and she was allowed to leave without her valuables. She then called the police.

The trio spent the money they stole on food, transport and games at an Internet gaming shop. Police officers arrested them the next day at See’s home.

NOT THEIR FIRST OFFENCE

Separately, the previous month, the trio — along with another man — robbed a 27-year-old beauty therapist from China who advertised her sexual services on online classifieds site Locanto.

She went to See’s home, where he promised her S$1,500 to keep him company for the whole day. The pair then had consensual sex after he paid her S$600.

When she went to the toilet and left her handbag in the living room, the four of them stole S$670 from it. See stayed behind in the flat while the others left.

He later took her out for food and promised to pay her the remaining money, but he made an excuse to leave while she ordered. She discovered the cash was missing from her wallet and tried to contact him, but he did not respond.

‘VIOLENCE AND BRUTALITY’

Deputy Public Prosecutors Gail Wong and Sheryl Yeo sought at least nine years’ jail and 15 strokes of the cane for See.

While he was young at the time, they noted that he was a “mature serial offender who is highly culpable” and was as capable of committing the crimes as his older accomplices.

He had also raped the victim of his own accord, and his accomplices had not known he was doing so, the prosecutors said.

His lawyers, Mr Siraj Shaik Aziz and Mr Ng Shi Yang from the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, asked for a report to be called to assess See’s suitability for reformative training. This is a regimented rehabilitation programme imposed on offenders under the age of 21 who commit relatively serious crimes.

Justice Thean rejected this in light of the “various serious aspects” of the case. However, she accepted the lawyers’ alternative submission on seven years’ jail and 15 strokes, noting that See’s sentence “should not be crushing in view of his age and prospects for rehabilitation”.

“The seriousness of the rape and robbery is one aspect (for sentencing), but crucial to this case is the amount of violence and brutality involved,” she added.

In letters submitted to the court, See's parents wrote that they blamed themselves for not looking after him as they were occupied with work in Malaysia. They promised to look after him while he is serving his sentence and when he is released.

See wrote that he had always wanted to be a pilot, but will not be able to do so now. He added that he regretted mixing with the wrong company, and had reflected on his crimes after being charged.