The Hindu : Indian national convicted in Singapore

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 31, 2003

International

International - India & World

Indian national convicted in Singapore

By P.S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE Dec. 30. A Singapore subordinate court today convicted an Indian national, Vidya Shankar Aiyar, on two charges that he had outraged the modesty of a woman at his apartment here after a party that the two had attended in November 2002.

The District Judge, Victor Yeo Khee Eng, said he would pronounce the sentence on January 6, and gave the prosecution and the defence counsel time until then for a process of `mitigation'.

The accused, a well-known former TV presenter, is on bail. The trial, which has attracted considerable attention in Singapore, was held in terms of Section 354 of the Penal Code that relates to the use of criminal force to outrage the modesty of a female victim.

The judge found Mr. Aiyar guilty of the offence as alleged by the complainant, whose name and identity cannot be disclosed under the court rules. A key witness was a taxi driver who took the accused and the complainant to the apartment. The judge noted that the complainant had made out an ``unusually convincing'' case. He rejected the defendant's contention that the complainant had misconstrued his action.

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