Japanese faces caning for 'brutal' rape

A Japanese hairstylist has been sentenced to 17 years in prison and 20 strokes of the cane in Singapore for what the judge described as a "brutal and cruel" assault and rape of a drunk student five years ago.

Kita Ikko, 39, pleaded guilty to one charge of rape, one charge of sexual assault by penetration and one charge of making an obscene film, his lawyer Adrian Wee said.

Kyodo News Agency cited the Japanese embassy as saying Kita is set to be the first Japanese to be sentenced to caning in Singapore.

Singaporean law calls for caning male convicts under the age of 50 for offenses such as rape, drug trafficking, vandalism and robbery.

Kita was arrested in December 2019 after the 20-year-old student lodged a police report. He met the victim for the first time at a riverside bar and took her to his home where prosecutors said he sexually assaulted and raped her. He also recorded the acts on his phone and sent it to a friend.

He was out on bail until he was charged last May and remained in custody until his guilty plea and sentencing this week.

"The assault that you have perpetrated on the victim was brutal and cruel," said judge Aedit Abdullah. He found that the victim was so inebriated that she couldn't walk by herself.

In his ruling, he said Kita continued to attack her while she was unable to escape and that the ordeal had scarred the victim psychologically.

ASSOCIATED PRESS