SINGAPORE — A 34-year-old man asked a female commuter he did not know at an MRT station if she wanted to sleep with him, a court heard.

Aboard an MRT train shortly after, Meesala Siva Prasad took the 24-year-old woman’s hand, lifted it to his mouth and kissed it.

At the State Courts on Thursday (2 January), Prasad was jailed for five days.

The Indian national, who resides in Singapore, pleaded guilty to one charge of molestation.

Asked victim to go to Hotel 81

On 27 June last year, at about 10.50pm, Prasad went up to the victim who was walking towards the North East Line at Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station. He asked her how to get to the North East Line and she allowed him to follow her there.

“Along the way, the accused told the victim that he was looking for girls, and the victim asked him what type of girls he was looking for,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Jotham Tay. “He asked her if she would like to go to Hotel 81, and she refused,” the prosecutor added.

Prasad and the victim continued walking to the train platform for the North East Line, and they boarded a train shortly after.

“In the train, he asked her to spend the night with him, and took out his wallet and offered to pay her money,” said DPP Tay. The victim rejected Prasad, who then took her hand and kissed it. “She was shocked and disgusted by this gesture and did not know how to react,” DPP Tay added.

Still, Prasad was undeterred. He called the handphone number that she had given him out of fear at some point during their interactions to confirm that it was accurate.

Prasad alighted at Little India MRT Station and the victim made a police report at a Neighbourhood Police Centre the next day.

District Judge Ong Chin Rhu backdated Prasad’s jail term to the date of his remand on 19 December last year.

The maximum punishment for using criminal force to outrage the modesty of a person is up to two years’ jail, along with a fine and caning.

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