EPTI thought I'd give some background to my previous post about the 3 men accused of sodomising their cellmate. Actually, the worst thing they did wasn't the sodomising, nor was it the physical abuse. It was deciding to represent themselves when they could have got a free lawyer appointed by the state.
So as the trial opens, the victim says they forced him into having sex with them. No way, say his cellmates. He offered it, so it was consensual.
What exactly do you mean "he offered it"? asks the prosecution.
What they meant was that they would beat the fuck out of the victim, and he would "offer" oral sex if only they would stop.
You don't have to be Ally McBeal to see the problem with that one.
News article here:
http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC090708-0000103/Victim-offered-sex--Attackers
+ Show Spoiler +
YES, they physically assaulted him.
But in the three prisoners' minds, the sexual abuse charges against them - such as sodomising their former cell mate and having him perform oral sex on them - are baseless because he made the offers.
And though they accepted - and stopped beating him each time as the victim had hoped - his consent absolves them of any sexual offence.
This was the line of defence that came sharply into focus yesterday as two of the three accused persons, who are representing themselves in court, cross-examined the victim.
Iryan Abdul Karim, Muhammad Hamdan Abdul Rahman and Mohammed Zameen Abdul Manoff, aged between 20 and 21, left the former inmate with multiple rib fractures, a lung infection and injuries to his liver and kidney over an eight-day period last year.
The 22-year-old, whose identity is protected by a court order, testified on Monday that he gave in to their sexual urges suggested to him because he was afraid of further beatings.
But these claims are "lies", Iryan protested on the second day of the trial.
By untrue, Iryan meant, for example, that after a round of "Sonic Blastment", where the victim acts like a punching bag that awards points to each attacker, their former cell mate "offered" oral sex because he "cannot take it".
Both Iryan and Hamdan tried to portray the victim as a serial liar.
When it was Hamdan's turn to cross-examine, he claimed to be "friendly" with the victim initially, despite the fact that they were from rival gangs.
But the accused got angry after being called gullible for believing the victim once took on five men in a gang fight.
After punching his then-cell mate, Hamdan claimed the victim tried to appease him by fondling him. "But I slapped you and told you to get lost," said Hamdan, who moved into the cell one day after the beatings began.
He told the court his former cell mate was concocting lies as a way of "getting revenge".
The victim, calm and composed on the witness stand, refuted all the claims.
He told Hamdan: "I gave in because I was afraid ... (but) is this how you treat someone you claimed to be friendly with, by assaulting them?"
The reason why they assaulted him, according to Iryan earlier, was because he was arrogant and always bragging.
"The reason I kicked you on April 27 was because you told us you had a plan to bring another inmate into our cell and bully him," said Iryan.
When Hamdan joined their cell, Iryan told him the 1.6m-tall victim was someone they could "tekan" (bully).
In the end, besides punching and kicking him or stepping and jumping on his chest, the bullying included forcing him to eat faeces.
The victim claims he was also deprived of food and drinks during the ordeal.
The three accused face between 12 and 15 charges.
The trial continues today.
But in the three prisoners' minds, the sexual abuse charges against them - such as sodomising their former cell mate and having him perform oral sex on them - are baseless because he made the offers.
And though they accepted - and stopped beating him each time as the victim had hoped - his consent absolves them of any sexual offence.
This was the line of defence that came sharply into focus yesterday as two of the three accused persons, who are representing themselves in court, cross-examined the victim.
Iryan Abdul Karim, Muhammad Hamdan Abdul Rahman and Mohammed Zameen Abdul Manoff, aged between 20 and 21, left the former inmate with multiple rib fractures, a lung infection and injuries to his liver and kidney over an eight-day period last year.
The 22-year-old, whose identity is protected by a court order, testified on Monday that he gave in to their sexual urges suggested to him because he was afraid of further beatings.
But these claims are "lies", Iryan protested on the second day of the trial.
By untrue, Iryan meant, for example, that after a round of "Sonic Blastment", where the victim acts like a punching bag that awards points to each attacker, their former cell mate "offered" oral sex because he "cannot take it".
Both Iryan and Hamdan tried to portray the victim as a serial liar.
When it was Hamdan's turn to cross-examine, he claimed to be "friendly" with the victim initially, despite the fact that they were from rival gangs.
But the accused got angry after being called gullible for believing the victim once took on five men in a gang fight.
After punching his then-cell mate, Hamdan claimed the victim tried to appease him by fondling him. "But I slapped you and told you to get lost," said Hamdan, who moved into the cell one day after the beatings began.
He told the court his former cell mate was concocting lies as a way of "getting revenge".
The victim, calm and composed on the witness stand, refuted all the claims.
He told Hamdan: "I gave in because I was afraid ... (but) is this how you treat someone you claimed to be friendly with, by assaulting them?"
The reason why they assaulted him, according to Iryan earlier, was because he was arrogant and always bragging.
"The reason I kicked you on April 27 was because you told us you had a plan to bring another inmate into our cell and bully him," said Iryan.
When Hamdan joined their cell, Iryan told him the 1.6m-tall victim was someone they could "tekan" (bully).
In the end, besides punching and kicking him or stepping and jumping on his chest, the bullying included forcing him to eat faeces.
The victim claims he was also deprived of food and drinks during the ordeal.
The three accused face between 12 and 15 charges.
The trial continues today.
Read it and you can learn the game of "Sonic Blastment", a game which is fun for 3/4 of the cell!
