On 9 Feb 2013, at around 3am, Lim Choon Beng allegedly raped a performing artist from China when he saw her walking home alone along Martin Road.
Lim, jobless, was leaving a bar in Robertson Quay, where he had been drinking with friends when he saw her.
The next 20 minutes consisted horrific sexual violence as he raped her three times in three separate places. He also forced her to give him oral sex.
Lim Choon Beng, now 30, initially claimed trial to seven charges, including three of rape, claiming that he could not remember his actions. However, last Tuesday, he voluntarily pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and one count of outraging a woman’s modesty as well as sexually penetrating her without her consent.
There are also other charges that will be taken into sentencing. Namely, a third rape charge, two other counts of sexual penetration, and one count of being in possession of 13 obscene films.
The first rape incident happened at Martin Road at 3am, when the victim saw Lim crossing the road while she was walking home. It was reported that she slowed down to let him pass which was then followed by Lim turning around and talking to her in english.
He realised that she did not understand english and asked her in Chinese if she liked American men.
The victim ignored him and walked faster, but he grabbed her buttocks in which she pushed him away. Lim then grabbed her hand and shouted at her. She tried running away after freeing away from Lim but he grabbed her shoulders and lifted her skirt.
He proceeded to pushed her, causing her to fall on a grass patch near some plants in front of the Watermark condominium. Lim then sat on her lower body and tugged at her clothes, causing the zipper at the back of her dress to give way.
“As the victim was still struggling, the accused fiercely told her not to force him to hit her. The accused then pulled down her bra and grabbed her left breast,” Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Zhuo Wenzhao said.
The victim pleaded for him to let her go and even told him she was having her period in which he ignored, yanked off her underwear and raped her. Lim only got up from his victim when he saw some cars passing by. She tried to retrieve her panties, but he snatched them and threw them farther away. Lim then pulled her by her arm and asked her to follow him home.
Click to the next page to find out how she was raped for the second and third time.
The second rape incident happened around 10 minutes later at Robertson 100 condominium. Lim had pulled the victim across Rodyk Street to a raised platform in front of Robertson 100 condominium.
He then grabbed her neck with one hand and hit her head against a wall before pinning her on the ground. The woman was already feeling dizzy and begged Lim to let her go. But he responded by warning her not to shout or do anything that would force him to beat her.
Despite the victim’s pleas, Lim attempted to rape her again. This time, the condominium’s security guard caught him on top of her and called the police. The victim tried to run away when Lim was putting his jeans back on but failed when he yanked her arm, asking her to follow him back home.
“The victim then… lied to him that they could go to her home instead. The victim’s intention was to lead the accused to her apartment where she could seek help from her (apartment’s) security guard,” said DPP Zhuo.
The third rape incident happened on a grass patch at River Valley Close. Lim suddenly forced the victim to the ground and asked her to perform oral sex on him before raping her for the third time.
“The victim continued crying loudly in the hope that someone would come and rescue her. She begged him to let her go to no avail,” said DPP Zhuo.
Lim stopped the rape only when he saw a taxi stopped near them. The victim fled as Lim was putting his jeans back on. She stopped a car and told the female driver to take her to the police.
When the driver could not find the police station, the victim phoned a friend and told him about her whole incident. The friend called the police and told the victim to go back to River Valley Close.
As the female driver did not know the way, the victim got out and took a taxi there, with the driver following them in her car.
When the victim arrived at River Valley Close with police officers already with Lim. She immediately identified him as her rapist.
Lim could be jailed for up to 20 years, fined and/or caned for each count of rape.
Through DNA analysis, there has been sufficient evidence gathered to prove that Lim is guilty. For example, the victim’s blood was found inside Lim’s underwear, jeans and the bottom of his shirt front.
The victim was reportedly assessed at the Institute of Mental Health on March 19, 2013, and found to be having an “adjustment reaction” to her ordeal.
Source: TNP