Singapore, January 12: In an appalling case, a 31-year-old Indian national in Singapore was sentenced to 13 years in prison and 12 strokes of the cane for the charge of sexual assault on Minor and two other charges of attempted statutory rape. According to news agency IANS, the accused was identified as Udhayakumar Dhakshinamoorthy, a minimart worker. Another Incident of Sexual Assault Against Minor: Four-Year-Old Girl Raped in Jaipur By Neighbour.

The accused tried to woo a 12-year-old minor girl with free gifts and called her his "wife". Dhakshinamoorthy also engaged in intrusive sexual acts with minor over three months in 2016. The High Court Judge Pang Khang Chau while announcing the sentence said that the accused had morally corrupted the minor and abused the innocence and naivety of the girl.

The bad deeds of Dhakshinamoorthy came to light when his pregnant girlfriend found a nude photo of the minor on his phone. According to IANS report, Dhakshinamoorthy took the girl to the isolated place and asked for sex but the minor told him that she wasn't sure what sex was. The accused then said that he would teach her. Kolkata: Minor Girl Student Sexually Assaulted by Teacher in School Premises, Accused Arrested After Protest.

In the court, the man admitted that he tried to have sex on two different occasions but he failed. "This proved his previous generosity was merely a facade to get the girl to have sex with him," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Gail Wong.

The accused used to give gifts to the minor. The accused also used to give ice creams, tidbits and toys for free from minimart, where, he was working. Dhakshinamoorthy also took minor to various places to engage in "petting." Later after his failed second attempt of sex with minor, Dhakshinamoorthy gave her 50 Singapore dollars and ended the relationship.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 12, 2019 07:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).