Two Punjab youths convicted in rape case in New Zealand
HAMILTON: Two Punjab-based youth, Parampreet Singh, 27, and Amritpal Singh, 25, who came to New Zealand in 2010, have been found guilty of raping a 17-yearold girl, whom they first met on a dating site, Tagged.
Christchurch district court judge David Saunders jailed Parampreet Singh for seven years and nine months, and Amritpal Singh for seven years and six months on Thursday last week. Both convicts have decided that they will serve their jail term and won’t lodge appeals.
Last month, the jury had found Parampreet guilty of two charges of raping the teenage girl in a latenight incident that took place in a car, and on the roof of the New Brighton Surf Club, Christchurch, on December 23, 2013. Parampreet was found not guilty of a sexual violation charge.
Amritpal was found guilty of sexual violation and rape. Both will be deported from New Zealand as soon as they are released from prison, and the judge said their deportation is “inevitable”. The victim was 17 at the time of her double rape in 2013.
Three trials were held in this case. One was declared a mistrial, while in the second trial, both were found guilty, but the verdicts were quashed by the court of appeal and a new trial was ordered. Both denied the charges claiming the girl had consented. Two juries, however, rejected their claim. Exact immigration status of Parampreet and Amritpal in New Zealand is not known. This is not the first case of rape involving Indians in this country. Gurpinder Singh Brar, 25, and Amritpal Singh Sidhu, 21, are already serving seven years and eight years in jail for kidnapping and raping a 38-year-old woman in Rotorua in September 2013. Their first trial ended with a hung jury.