Chinese national, 32, gets longer jail term of more than 7 years and 3 strokes of the cane after losing court appeal over attempted rape of ex-flatmate in Singapore - Singapore News

SINGAPORE: A Chinese national who tried to rape his former flatmate in Singapore has ended up with a longer jail sentence after the country’s highest court rejected his appeal and found that his conduct during the case warranted a harsher punishment.

On July 3, the Court of Appeal increased 32-year-old Gao Xiong’s sentence from six years, six months, and six weeks to seven years, seven months and six weeks in jail. He will also receive three strokes of the cane.

Instead of convincing the court to order a retrial, Gao’s arguments had the opposite effect. The judges found that he had made baseless claims about the earlier proceedings and refused to take responsibility for his actions, The Star reported (July 4), citing The Straits Times.

Appeal failed after the court rejected his claims

Gao, who was a PhD student when the offences took place, had pleaded guilty in the High Court in December 2025 to one count of attempted rape and three counts of criminal trespass while represented by a lawyer.

Appearing without legal representation during his appeal in May, he claimed he had been confused when entering his guilty plea and said he hadn’t been given a chance to address the court.

The Court of Appeal rejected those claims. Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, Justice Tay Yong Kwang and Justice Hri Kumar Nair said the High Court judge had taken careful steps to ensure Gao understood the charges and accepted the agreed facts before pleading guilty.

Gao’s lawyer and an interpreter were present throughout the proceedings, and the hearing was even paused when Gao appeared uncertain so he could speak with his lawyer before confirming his plea.

The judges said his appeal amounted to an abuse of the court process because it sought to cast doubt on the fairness and integrity of the earlier proceedings without any factual basis. They also said Gao showed no genuine remorse. Instead, he tried to shift responsibility to others and played down the harm suffered by the victim.

Repeated unwanted advances escalated into attempted rape

Gao and the victim, both Chinese nationals, had previously rented separate rooms in the same condominium unit while studying in Singapore.

After moving out in August 2023, Gao began asking the 22-year-old woman out in early October. She repeatedly rejected him and asked him to stop contacting her, but he continued sending messages.

On Oct 8, 2023, he returned to the condominium looking for her. She called the police, prompting him to leave when officers arrived. He stayed overnight at a nearby bus stop and continued messaging her.

The following night, Gao returned to the unit after another tenant let him inside. He claimed he had left behind a bank card and wanted to apologise for sending angry messages.

When the woman refused his apology and said she would call the police, he forced his way into her room, pushed her onto the floor, pulled at her dress and exposed himself.

The attack ended only after another tenant heard her screams and dragged Gao away. He remained inside the unit until police were called.

More offences committed while on bail, even entering the State Courts’ restricted area to speak to a judge

The case didn’t end there. After being granted bail in May 2024, Gao committed further offences, including trespassing.

Gao entered a restricted area at the State Courts while trying to speak to a judge during a pre-trial conference, leaving only after court staff intervened. A panic alarm was activated during the incident.

Gao also returned to the condominium several times in an attempt to persuade the victim to withdraw her complaint or obtain her contact details, even after learning she had moved out. His bail was later revoked, and he was remanded again.

Judges to assess conduct, progress and offender under new framework

Beyond Gao’s case, the Court of Appeal also laid down a new three-stage framework for sentencing attempted crimes. Judges should first assess how far an offender went in carrying out the offence.

The Judges then should consider how much of a sentencing reduction, if any, is justified based on whether the offender stopped voluntarily or was interrupted by someone else.

Finally, the Judges should adjust the sentence to account for aggravating and mitigating factors unique to the offender.

The ruling is significant because it is the first criminal attempt case heard by Singapore’s apex court since changes to the Penal Code removed the previous rule that generally capped sentences for attempted offences at half the maximum punishment for the completed crime.

Courts can now impose the same range of punishment for an attempted offence.

Abusing an appeal process can carry serious consequences. The courts exist to correct genuine mistakes, not to rewrite facts that have already been carefully tested.

- Advertisement -