{
  "id": 177304,
  "title": "Rapist forced himself on 13-year-old deaf and mute girl",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/rapist-forced-himself-on-13-year-old-deaf-and-mute-girl",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-05T12:42:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Straits Times",
    "slug": "straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/rapist-forced-himself-on-13-year-old-deaf-and-mute-girl"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Singapore, a 24-year-old man was sentenced to 12 years and nine months in jail, along with 12 cane strokes, for raping a 13-year-old deaf and mute girl in November 2024. The incident occurred while the man's pregnant wife was out running errands. The victim, initially found the man \"nice, kind and funny,\" though they communicated through basic sign language and gestures. On the night of the assault, the victim's mother asked her to spend the night at the man's flat. When the wife left for errands, the girl initially resisted the man's advances, but he persisted, using messages on her phone and threats that she \"must try first.\" When the man touched her thigh, she pushed him away, but he eventually forced himself on her. The girl sent messages for help to her mother, who did not respond. The man later confessed, lying that the girl had become angry after he left and had taken a knife. The assault was discovered when the girl visited relatives the next day, showing them a photo of the man with a love bite. The police were called, and the man was arrested. The court emphasized the man's deplorable abuse of trust, as he had repeatedly forced himself on the vulnerable victim despite her clear rejection.",
  "summary": "The man knew the victim and her family, and she called him \"uncle\".",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}