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Offender Databases Thomas Singh

Thomas Stancliffe Singh

Alias

.

Offences

Rape of a 15 year old girl in Westport in 2002

Victims

.

Offender Affiliations

.

Gang affiliations

none known

Age

Born 1963

Current Location

unknown

Parole/Release Dates

Sentenced to nine years in February 2003

Background
From the Press (Christchurch) February 2003
The rape of a girl, "who was entitled to feel secure in her bed", has brought a nine-year jail term for a Westport man. Thomas Stancliffe Singh, 40, the manager of a backpackers, had pleaded not guilty, claiming that he believed the girl, 15, had consented. But a jury in the Greymouth District Court found him guilty, after a trial last week, and he was sentenced by Judge Murray Abbott in the Christchurch District Court yesterday.

Defence counsel Doug Taffs said no violence or threats of violence had occurred in the offence. Singh had been a good father to his children, and had done a lot helping young people with their sports and activities. "He made some very bad moral choices and a huge error of judgment on this occasion," he said. "He apologises sincerely to the victim, and the community," Mr Taffs said.

Crown prosecutor James Rapley said an aggravating feature was the age difference between 40-year-old Singh and the "naive and unworldly 15-year-old". Judge Abbott said Singh appeared as a virtual first offender, since his earlier offending dated back 20 years. Singh had taken advantage of a girl in a situation where she felt powerless, when she had been entitled to feel safe in her bed, he said.

The girl's evidence had been that once Singh was on top of her in her bed she had assisted him to have intercourse by removing her pants, but the jury had clearly accepted her evidence that it was an act of desperation when she felt powerless, Judge Abbott said. It was clear that the girl had severe emotional and psychological problems, because of the offending. He accused Singh of still trying to minimise his responsibility for his conduct, and trying to shift some of the blame on to the victim.

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Corrections and Additional Information
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