Mookkapillai Pazhanivel, a 34-year-old Indian national working as a labourer in Singapore, has been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment and 14 strokes of the cane for raping a 12-year-old girl.
The crime happened at a grass patch near Sixth Avenue MRT station.
How They Met on Telegram
Mookkapillai met the victim through the mobile chat app Telegram in April 2022.
On 17 Apr 2022, the girl messaged his account “sweet sweet” and told him she was 13 years old. She was actually only 12. Mookkapillai asked to meet her and said he wanted to perform a sexual act on her.
The girl suggested meeting that same day, but he couldn’t make it.
The Meeting
The next day, Mookkapillai asked to meet again. After going out for a facial with her mother, the victim texted him back in the evening asking if he was free.
He told her to meet him at Sixth Avenue MRT station. She lied to her mother, saying she was going shopping.
When the victim arrived, Mookkapillai directed her to an open grassy patch near Vanda Link. The two had sex there.
The victim later testified in court that the experience was “very uncomfortable” and painful. She said she “didn’t really feel anything at the time” but later felt “very dirty” because what she did was “not very right”.
Continued Harassment
After their meeting, Mookkapillai kept texting the victim despite her rejection. In September 2022, he used accounts under other pseudonyms to send her sexually explicit messages and ask her to meet up.
When the victim asked for his name and age, he refused to share it.
The girl eventually told her mother about the harassment on 8 Oct 2022. They lodged a police report together the next day.
The Arrest
The police couldn’t trace Mookkapillai for about a year. He was eventually arrested on 21 Mar 2023 after the victim helped police arrange a meet-up with him.
He had two condoms and a bottle of climax control spray on him during the arrest.
The Trial
Mookkapillai faced 11 charges in total. His trial began in April 2025 for one count of rape and one count of sexual assault by penetration.
Prosecutors said Mookkapillai showed an “utter lack of remorse throughout the proceedings”. He resorted to victim-blaming and alleged mistreatment from the police.
Mookkapillai tried to shift blame onto the victim. He made disparaging remarks about her and claimed he had not raped her. He made unfounded claims about an odour from her private parts and tried to use the tone of her text messages to portray her as a liar.
He also claimed he would have “died” if he were held down for ten more seconds during his arrest. He said he didn’t eat for nine days while in custody.
Prosecutors said this was contradicted by the police officers’ account and by evidence showing the dates and times when meals were given to him.
Hunger Strike Drama
On the fourth day of the trial, Mookkapillai declared he would go on a hunger strike until a defence lawyer was appointed for him. He kept up the strike despite being warned it could amount to contempt of court.
Prosecutors called it “nothing more than a stunt calculated to obstruct proceedings” and said he was “simply being difficult”. They pointed out that at the pre-trial stage, when the court asked if he required representation, Mookkapillai chose to remain unrepresented.
After being convicted on 29 Oct, Mookkapillai slumped over in his chair and refused to respond to a plea offer for nine other charges that were put on hold. These include eight charges of sexual offences against the same victim and one charge of criminal trespass.
When the court session resumed, Mookkapillai stood up and asked, “Why should I admit?”
His Defence Falls Flat
In mitigation, Mookkapillai said he didn’t want to admit to the charges because he didn’t commit the offences. He told the court he sat down after being convicted because the outcome was unexpected and he felt giddy.
On the hunger strike, he said, “I have a habit of not eating since I was young. As I was under stress, I did not want to eat.”
High Court Judge Aidan Xu rejected his claims. The judge stated that the defendant had taken advantage of a young girl to satisfy himself.
On 5 Dec 2025, Judge Xu sentenced Mookkapillai to 15 years’ jail and 14 strokes of the cane. This was the minimum sentence sought by the prosecution.
Another trial will be held in the State Courts for the other nine charges.
