Singapore, June 6: A 28-year-old Indian national who spiked his compatriot flatmate's drink with the intention to rape her was today sentenced to two years and 10 months in jail and three strokes of the cane. Annadurai Prabakaran, a private hire bus driver who has worked in Singapore for more than seven years, started having thoughts about having sex with his flatmate, a 21-year-old, on December 8 last year, according to court documents.

"He thus planned to drug her and have sexual intercourse with her while she was asleep," the Channel News Asia reported citing court documents. The next day, he bought two of what he thought were sleeping pills for 2 dollars. He used one pill to do a test to ensure that the pill would be colourless when dissolved. Three days later, he put the other pill into a bottle of water that his flatmate had left unattended.

The victim took a sip of the water and spat it out when she realised it tasted bitter, according to the report. Suspecting that Annadurai might have put something into her water, which appeared cloudy, she called her uncle's friend. The friend, a female, turned up at the home with a man. Annadurai admitted to them that he had put the pill in the water and pleaded for forgiveness, according to the documents.

Then, he grabbed the water bottle from the man while he was holding it and poured the water out. He then dropped the bottle on the floor. The man called the police, and a small amount of water that remained in the bottle was sent to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for analysis, the court heard.

The HSA toxicology report revealed that the contaminated water contained Sildenafil, a drug for erectile dysfunction treatment. It may cause effects such as a headache and nausea. Annadurai also pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice. His lawyer pleaded for his client to be given the minimum possible sentence. However, Annadurai was sentenced to two years and 10 months' jail and three strokes of the cane.