Britons get jail, caning for S’pore sex assault

SINGAPORE: Three young British men were sentenced yesterday to jail time and caning for sexually assaulting a Malaysian woman during a stag party in Singapore.

Khong Tam Thanh, Le Michael and Vu Thai Son, in their 20s, were originally accused of rape but pleaded guilty on Monday to a lesser charge of aggravated outrage of modesty after a four-day trial.

High Court Judge Hoo Sheau Peng slammed their “reprehensible” conduct and sentenced the trio, British citizens of Vietnamese origin, to jail terms of between five and a half years to six and a half years.

They were also sentenced to between five and eight strokes of the cane each. Caning is a punishment dating back to British colonial rule in Singapore and involves being flogged with a rattan stick.

The attack happened in Singapore in September last year, when the trio travelled to the city-state for a bachelor party.

The groom, the brother of Khong, was also on the trip.

After attending an electronic music festival, the men met the 23-year-old victim at a popular nightspot, and she went back to a hotel with one of their friends.

Later, Khong, 22, Le and Vu — both 24 — took turns to enter the room where she lay drunk and unconscious and have sex with her, with the woman waking up as Le assaulted her.

As well as outrage of modesty, Khong and Vu, who worked as beauticians in Britain, were also convicted of an additional charge of sexual assault.