“In the victim’s new home, the defendant forced himself on her"
US Indian man Ashok Singh, aged 59, of Easton, Pennsylvania, has been jailed for seven years after he was found guilty of rape.
He was convicted at a trial of forcible rape.
The court heard he met the victim at a temple and later helped her to find a place to live. However, he ended up raping her in the apartment.
The allegations came to light in December 2015 when Singh allegedly raped the victim in her new apartment in Queens, New York.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said:
“The victim met the defendant in a Queens temple and trusted him when he offered to assist her in finding a place to live.
“This defendant, however, was a predator who waited for an opportunity to victimise this woman.
“In the victim’s new home, the defendant forced himself on her and then later apologised for the attack telling her he would ‘never do it again without permission’.”
The court heard that the 40-year-old woman had visited a temple in search of rental postings on the bulletin board.
She met Singh at the temple, who offered to help her find a place to live. They exchanged phone numbers and four days later, Singh called her with news that he had found an apartment for her.
He told her that she needed to move in straight away.
Singh helped the woman move in. The US Indian man later went shopping before returning to the apartment.
When the woman refused to have wine, Singh became enraged, threw her on the bed and raped her.
The victim ran out of the apartment when Singh fell asleep. She contacted a friend for help and the police were called.
The victim went to a hospital for treatment. During that time, Singh called her and left a voicemail, telling her he was sorry and that he would never do it again with her permission.
In November 2019, Singh was found guilty of first and third-degree rape and unlawful imprisonment in the second degree.
Queens Acting District Attorney John Ryan said:
“The victim, in this case, met the defendant at a temple and trusted him when he offered to help her find a place to live.”
“Sadly, she had no idea he was a predator. The defendant raped the victim and later apologised for the attack and promised to ‘never do it again without her permission’.
“A jury weighed all the evidence and found the defendant guilty. He will now be incarcerated as punishment for this heinous crime.”
Queens Supreme Court Justice Gia Morris sentenced Singh to seven years in prison. This will be followed by five years’ post-release supervision.
Singh is also required to register as a sex offender.
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