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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| 'Woman' pleads guilty to sexually assaulting underage girl with sex toy |
| 2015-12-08 |
| [CHANNELNEWSASIA] SINGAPORE: In a first-of-its-kind case in Singapore, a woman has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting an underage girl. The catch: Zunika Ahmad had been living as an Indonesian man and has two wives. Zunika, 39, pleaded guilty to seven charges on Monday (Dec 7), including four charges for using a sex toy to sexually assault her 13-year-old neighbour. Fourteen other similar charges will be taken into consideration during her sentencing. It was only after her arrest and remand at Changi Women's Prison that Zunika was diagnosed with gender dysphoria, or "a strong desire to be male". Zunika had assumed "a role as a male to the extent of obtaining a fictitious identity and being married to females", a psychiatric report stated. A CONSENSUAL AFFAIR Zunika met her victim in 2011, when she moved into a flat a few units away from the victim, along with her two wives and a daughter. Zunika, who looks like a man and has a deep voice, presented herself as an Indonesian man to the victim and her family. Zunika's wives were also under the impression that they were married to an Indonesian man. In fact, her first wife became pregnant after having an affair, but told Zunika the baby was hers. As she wanted to have a family, and was unwilling to reveal her true identity, Zunika went along with the lie. Over time, Zunika and her family became friendly with the victim's family, and the now 16-year-old and her siblings often stayed over at Zunika's flat to spend time with the latter's daughter. Zunika and the victim subsequently grew close and developed feelings for each other. Their sexual relationship started in February 2012 and continued for almost two years. Although the acts were committed with the girl's consent, they are still illegal as the age of consent in Singapore is 16 years. AFFAIR ENDED BY GUILT Zunika ended the relationship in December 2013 after feeling guilty over the affair. The abuse came to light in March 2014, when the girl made a police report after an argument with Zunika. Several medical reports produced in court on Monday similarly concluded that while Zunika is biologically female, her psychological state is that of a male. Doctors also did not find that Zunika required any psychiatric treatment. The only treatment necessary is sex reassignment surgery, her lawyer Ms N Sudha Nair said. The lawyer cited a psychiatric report by Dr Tommy Tan, which also found that Zunika's risk of re-offending is low. Ms Nair told the court that Zunika intends to undergo surgery after serving her sentence, and continue living with her wives and daughter, who have come to terms with her transsexualism. Deputy Public Prosecutor John Lu said the case is "so unique, I can't find a parallel for it". However, he urged the court to impose a sentence of eight years' jail based on relatively similar cases. Ms Nair said a jail term of under three years would be fair, considering Zunika's unique circumstances and the fact that she is remorseful. According to Dr Tan's report, "Zunika had no wish to have her true gender to be discovered. ... She knows that if she had not committed the offences, she could continue living normally as a man". Citing the complicated and unprecedented nature of the case, Justice Kan Ting Chiu said he would take some time to study the facts, and hand down a sentence at a later date. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 "A very special ABC Afterschool specialâ„¢" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2015-12-08 18:31 |