SINGAPORE: A double amputee who performed sexual acts on a 12-year-old boy in exchange for cash and cigarettes was sentenced to 12 years and 11 months’ jail on July 17.
Abdul Rahim Sa’ad, 66, who uses a wheelchair as both his legs had been amputated below the knee, had sexually abused the victim between 2020 and 2023.
He pleaded guilty to two charges of sexual assault by penetration.
Another 14 charges for similar offences against the same victim were considered during sentencing.
Rahim’s sentence included four months’ jail in lieu of caning. He cannot be caned as he is above 50 years old.
High Court judge Audrey Lim agreed with the prosecution that additional jail time should be imposed to compensate for the lost deterrent effect of caning, given the abhorrent acts and repeated offences over a long period of time.
At the time of the offences, Rahim regularly spent time at his sister’s home.
He befriended the victim in April 2020 after striking up a conversation with the boy, who was passing by his sister’s flat to visit a friend.
On April 29, 2020, the boy visited Rahim and asked him for a cigarette.
Rahim asked the victim to show him his underwear and genitals, and to let him take photographs.
The boy agreed and received cash and a cigarette for allowing Rahim to take photographs of him.
After this incident, the victim occasionally asked for cigarettes and cash, which Rahim would provide in exchange for sexual favours.
When Rahim asked to perform a sex act on the boy, the victim suggested going to the handicap toilet at a nearby community centre.
After the acts, Rahim would buy cigarettes for the boy and sometimes give him cash.
Rahim was arrested on Jan 4, 2024, after his niece lodged a police report alleging he was obtaining sexual services from young boys.
He has been in remand since.
On July 17, Deputy Public Prosecutor Jiang Ke Yue sought a sentence of 14 to 17 years’ jail and an additional four to five months’ jail in lieu of caning.
Defence counsel Chooi Jing Yen asked for a jail term of not more than 11 years, highlighting a list of medical conditions suffered by Rahim, including heart failure and diabetes.
The lawyer added that peripheral arterial disease which led to gangrene had already cost him both legs. - The Straits Times/ANN
