Singapore youth admits to raping drunk teen despite two friends telling him not to touch her

SINGAPORE, Jan 31 (The Straits Times/ANN): A 19-year-old youth insisted on sending a drunk teenager home, and as she lay on her bed, he texted two friends, alluding to the fact that he had designs on her.

In one message, Delwin Neo Kah Keng said: “Am I too innocent to not even touch her?”

Despite both friends telling him not to touch the girl, with one saying he would be a rapist if he had sex with her, Neo forced himself on the 18-year-old.

Neo, now 22, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in the High Court to a charge of rape, as well as two charges for unrelated sexual offences committed against another victim.

The case was adjourned for sentencing.

On the night of Nov 20, 2019, Neo, then a full-time national serviceman, met the victim for the first time at a birthday party he organised for a friend at a club in Clarke Quay.

The victim became intoxicated and at about 2am on Nov 21, Neo sent a video of her lying drunk on the sofa to the WhatsApp group chat he created for those attending the celebration.

At about 2.20am, he told the group chat that he was going to send the victim home.

One of his friends told him not to do so, but Neo disregarded this. A promoter at the club offered to send the girl home, but Neo insisted that he would send her home, and booked a taxi.

They arrived at the block of flats where the girl lived alone at about 3.30am.

After entering her unit, she told him to lock the gate and to throw the keys through the gate onto the sofa.

She went into her bedroom, and thinking that Neo had left, she took off most of her clothes, got into bed, and fell asleep.

At some point, Neo asked her for various sexual acts, but she said no and fell back into sleep.

At about 3.45am, he texted a female friend to say that he was in the victim’s home and that she was naked on the bed. Close to 4am, he texted another female friend, saying: “I might be a devil soon.”

In spite of his friends’ advice, Neo raped the victim. When she woke up during the rape, he asked her if it was “nice” and continued even though she pleaded with him to stop.

When he eventually stopped, the victim chased him out of her flat, as he repeatedly asked if she was okay and told her not to tell anyone what had happened.

That evening, Neo texted the victim and apologised for making her uncomfortable. When she replied that he had raped her, he did not deny her accusation but asked how they could settle the matter.

On her friend’s urging, the victim called the police in the early morning of Nov 22 to report that she had been raped.

Neo was arrested on the same day at around 11.40am.

A psychiatric report from the Institute of Mental Health stated that Neo has a history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and adjustment disorder, which were in remission at the time of the rape. - The Straits Times/ANN