Public Prosecutor v Roger Yue Jr: Statutory Rape and Sexual Penetration of a Minor
In Public Prosecutor v Roger Yue Jr, the High Court of Singapore convicted Roger Yue Jr. of seven charges of statutory rape and sexual penetration of a minor. The charges stemmed from incidents where Yue, a rope skipping coach, committed sexual offenses against a student. The court, presided over by Aedit Abdullah J, sentenced Yue to 25 years' imprisonment, finding the victim's testimony credible and corroborated by Yue's statements and psychiatric evaluations. Yue has appealed against both conviction and sentence.
1. Case Overview
1.1 Court
High Court1.2 Outcome
Accused convicted of all seven charges and sentenced to a total of 25 years’ imprisonment.
1.3 Case Type
Criminal
1.4 Judgment Type
Grounds of Decision
1.5 Jurisdiction
Singapore
1.6 Description
Roger Yue Jr. was convicted of statutory rape and sexual penetration of a minor, stemming from offenses against a rope skipping student.
1.7 Decision Date
2. Parties and Outcomes
| Party Name | Role | Type | Outcome | Outcome Type | Counsels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Prosecutor | Prosecution | Government Agency | Won | Won | Nicholas Lai of Attorney-General’s Chambers Winston Man of Attorney-General’s Chambers |
| Roger Yue Jr | Defendant | Individual | Lost | Lost |
3. Judges
| Judge Name | Title | Delivered Judgment |
|---|---|---|
| Aedit Abdullah | Judge | Yes |
4. Counsels
| Counsel Name | Organization |
|---|---|
| Nicholas Lai | Attorney-General’s Chambers |
| Winston Man | Attorney-General’s Chambers |
| Peter Keith Fernando | Leo Fernando |
4. Facts
- The accused was the victim's rope skipping coach.
- The victim was below 14 years of age at the time of the offences.
- The accused sexually penetrated the victim with his finger, a vibrator, and a skipping rope handle.
- The accused made the victim perform fellatio on him.
- The accused raped the victim.
- The victim made a police report in April 2014.
- The accused made admissions in his statement to the police and to a psychiatrist.
5. Formal Citations
- Public Prosecutor v Yue Roger Jr, Criminal Case No 75 of 2017, [2018] SGHC 125
6. Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Victim became a member of the primary school’s rope skipping team coached by the Accused. | |
| Victim was invited to join a private rope skipping team that the Accused had helped to start. | |
| Victim enrolled in secondary school. | |
| Victim started to assist the Accused in coaching rope skipping teams at various schools. | |
| 7th Charge: Accused sexually penetrated the Victim by inserting his finger into her vagina. | |
| 11th Charge: Accused sexually penetrated the Victim by inserting the handle of a skipping rope into her vagina. | |
| 15th Charge: Accused sexually penetrated the Victim by inserting a vibrator into her vagina. | |
| 21st Charge: Accused sexually penetrated the Victim by penetrating her mouth with his penis. | |
| 22nd Charge: Accused committed rape on the Victim by penetrating her vagina with his penis. | |
| 25th Charge: Accused sexually penetrated the Victim by penetrating her mouth with his penis. | |
| 26th Charge: Accused committed rape on the Victim by penetrating her vagina with his penis. | |
| Victim left the private rope skipping team. | |
| Victim lodged a police report alleging that sexual offences had been committed by the Accused against her. | |
| First statement was taken from the Accused under s 22 of the Criminal Procedure Code. | |
| Second statement was taken from the Accused under s 22 of the Criminal Procedure Code. | |
| Accused was released on bail. | |
| Accused interviewed by Dr Raja Sathy Velloo for psychiatric assessment. | |
| Accused interviewed by Dr Raja Sathy Velloo for psychiatric assessment. | |
| Trial commenced. | |
| Accused filed Notice of Appeal. | |
| Accused convicted of all seven charges and sentenced to a total of 25 years’ imprisonment. |
7. Legal Issues
- Rape
- Outcome: Accused convicted of two counts of statutory rape.
- Category: Substantive
- Sexual Penetration of Minor
- Outcome: Accused convicted of five counts of sexual penetration of a minor.
- Category: Substantive
- Voluntariness of Statements
- Outcome: Court found that the statement was given voluntarily and admitted it into evidence.
- Category: Procedural
- Corroboration of Witness Testimony
- Outcome: Court found that the victim's testimony was corroborated by the accused's admissions.
- Category: Evidence
- Adverse Inference
- Outcome: Court found that no adverse inference was to be drawn against the Prosecution.
- Category: Evidence
8. Remedies Sought
- Imprisonment
9. Cause of Actions
- Statutory Rape
- Sexual Penetration of a Minor
10. Practice Areas
- Criminal Law
- Sentencing
11. Industries
- Education
- Sports
12. Cited Cases
| Case Name | Court | Affirmed | Citation | Jurisdiction | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GBR v Public Prosecutor and another appeal | Court of Appeal | Yes | [2018] 3 SLR 1048 | Singapore | Cited regarding the expectation of how victims of sexual crimes should react. |
| Public Prosecutor v Mazlan bin Maidun and another | Court of Appeal | Yes | [1992] 3 SLR(R) 968 | Singapore | Cited for the principle that the recording officer need not inform a suspect of his legal right to remain silent. |
| Lim Thian Lai v Public Prosecutor | Court of Appeal | Yes | [2006] 1 SLR(R) 319 | Singapore | Cited for the principle that the recording officer need not inform a suspect of his legal right to remain silent. |
| DT v Public Prosecutor | High Court | Yes | [2001] 2 SLR(R) 583 | Singapore | Cited regarding the assessment of delay in reporting sexual offences on a case-by-case basis. |
| Tang Kin Seng v Public Prosecutor | High Court | Yes | [1996] 3 SLR(R) 444 | Singapore | Cited regarding the assessment of delay in reporting sexual offences on a case-by-case basis. |
| AOF v Public Prosecutor | Court of Appeal | Yes | [2012] 3 SLR 34 | Singapore | Cited for the principle that a complainant's evidence must be unusually convincing to overcome the lack of corroboration. |
| Haliffie bin Mamat v Public Prosecutor and other appeals | Court of Appeal | Yes | [2016] 5 SLR 636 | Singapore | Cited for the principle that a complainant's evidence must be unusually convincing to overcome the lack of corroboration. |
| XP v Public Prosecutor | High Court | Yes | [2008] 4 SLR(R) 686 | Singapore | Cited for the principle that a complainant's evidence must be unusually convincing to overcome the lack of corroboration. |
| Public Prosecutor v Mohammed Liton Mohammed Syeed Mallik | High Court | Yes | [2008] 1 SLR(R) 601 | Singapore | Cited regarding the factual inquiry and judgment required to determine if a complainant's testimony is sufficient. |
| Goh Han Heng v Public Prosecutor | High Court | Yes | [2003] 4 SLR(R) 374 | Singapore | Cited regarding the burden of proving a lack of motive to falsely implicate the accused. |
| Khoo Kwoon Hain v Public Prosecutor | High Court | Yes | [1995] 2 SLR(R) 591 | Singapore | Cited regarding the burden of proving a lack of motive to falsely implicate the accused. |
| Loo See Mei v Public Prosecutor | High Court | Yes | [2004] 2 SLR(R) 27 | Singapore | Cited regarding the burden of proving a lack of motive to falsely implicate the accused. |
| Chai Chien Wei Kelvin v Public Prosecutor | Court of Appeal | Yes | [1998] 3 SLR(R) 619 | Singapore | Cited regarding the objective and subjective test of voluntariness of a statement. |
| Yeo See How v Public Prosecutor | High Court | Yes | [1996] 2 SLR(R) 277 | Singapore | Cited regarding the level of discomfort required to call into question the voluntariness of a statement. |
| Tey Hsun Hang v Public Prosecutor | High Court | Yes | [2014] 2 SLR 1189 | Singapore | Cited regarding the level of discomfort required to call into question the voluntariness of a statement. |
| Khua Kian Keong and another v Public Prosecutor | High Court | Yes | [2003] 4 SLR(R) 526 | Singapore | Cited regarding the conditions for drawing an adverse inference against the Prosecution for failing to call a witness. |
| Chua Keem Long v Public Prosecutor | High Court | Yes | [1996] 1 SLR(R) 239 | Singapore | Cited regarding the discretion of the Prosecution to call a particular witness. |
| Sudha Natrajan v The Bank of East Asia Ltd | Court of Appeal | Yes | [2017] 1 SLR 141 | Singapore | Cited regarding the need for some evidence before drawing an adverse inference. |
| Tan Pin Seng v Public Prosecutor | High Court | Yes | [1997] 3 SLR(R) 494 | Singapore | Cited regarding the purpose of the first information report. |
| Ng Kean Meng Terence v Public Prosecutor | Court of Appeal | Yes | [2017] 2 SLR 449 | Singapore | Cited for the sentencing guidelines for rape offences. |
| Public Prosecutor v UI | High Court | Yes | [2008] 4 SLR(R) 500 | Singapore | Cited regarding the mitigating weight of the offender's previous good behavior. |
| Public Prosecutor v BAB | Court of Appeal | Yes | [2017] 1 SLR 292 | Singapore | Cited for the sentencing starting points for a s 376A offence of sexual penetration of a minor under 16. |
| Pram Nair v Public Prosecutor | Court of Appeal | Yes | [2017] 2 SLR 1015 | Singapore | Cited for the sentencing bands for digital penetration. |
| Krishan Chand v PP | High Court | Yes | [1995] 1 SLR(R) 737 | Singapore | Cited regarding the relevance of the advanced age of the accused person in sentencing. |
13. Applicable Rules
| Rule Name |
|---|
| No applicable rules |
14. Applicable Statutes
| Statute Name | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|
| Criminal Procedure Code | Singapore |
| Penal Code | Singapore |
| Evidence Act | Singapore |
| Penal Code, Chapter 224 (2008 Revised Edition), section 376A(l)(b) | Singapore |
| Penal Code, Chapter 224 (2008 Revised Edition), section 376A(3) | Singapore |
| Penal Code, Chapter 224 (2008 Revised Edition), section 376A(1)(a) | Singapore |
| Penal Code, Chapter 224 (2008 Revised Edition), section 375(1)(b) | Singapore |
| Penal Code, Chapter 224 (2008 Revised Edition), section 375(2) | Singapore |
| Criminal Procedure Code (Cap 68, 2012 Rev Ed), section 22 | Singapore |
| Criminal Procedure Code (Cap 68, 2012 Rev Ed), section 258(3) | Singapore |
| Evidence Act (Cap 97, 1997 Rev Ed), section 116 | Singapore |
| Criminal Procedure Code, section 325(1)(b) | Singapore |
15. Key Terms and Keywords
15.1 Key Terms
- Rope Skipping
- Sexual Penetration
- Statutory Rape
- Minor
- Voluntariness
- Corroboration
- Adverse Inference
15.2 Keywords
- Rape
- Sexual Assault
- Minor
- Singapore
- Criminal Law
17. Areas of Law
| Area Name | Relevance Score |
|---|---|
| Sexual Offences | 98 |
| Criminal Law | 95 |
| Criminal Procedure | 90 |
| Evidence | 85 |
| Penal Code | 70 |
16. Subjects
- Criminal Law
- Sexual Offences
- Criminal Procedure
- Evidence