A STOREMAN accused of raping and robbing a woman he had offered a lift to told police a day after his arrest that he did not know why he had sex with her, the High Court heard yesterday on the third day of his trial.
Haliffie Mamat, 24, allegedly raped the 36-year-old woman in his car on the bridge along Kallang Bahru in the early morning of May 4, 2013, before kicking her out and driving off with her brand-name handbag.
In a statement on May 7 in response to a rape charge, he said: "Actually, my intention was just to rob, to get money. But I don't know why I cross over (sic), my mind, to have sex with the girl."
Haliffie also told Inspector Thermizi Tho that he hoped for a lighter sentence as he wanted to see his son, then a year and eight months old, grow up.
"I admit this is my mistake. I wish to apologise to this girl. I'm really sorry. The reason I did this was because I was under depression," he added, in the statement read out in court yesterday.
The prosecution's case is that Haliffie decided to rob the woman when he saw her waiting for a taxi along River Valley Road at 5am, but after she got into his car, he decided to rape her as well.
The alleged victim, who cannot be named, testified behind closed doors on Monday and Tuesday.
Yesterday, more details emerged as seven witnesses, including the cabby who drove the woman to a police station, the officers on duty at the time, as well as Haliffie's former wife and his best friend, took the stand.
From the testimonies, it emerged that the victim had been drinking alone at Clarke Quay and waited for a taxi for about an hour before Haliffie picked her up near the G-Max Reverse Bungy.
He stopped his car at the Kallang Bahru bridge where he allegedly raped her, then drove a short distance before he kicked her out at Block 65.
At the junction of Geylang Bahru, she hopped into the back of a taxi driven by Mr Onn Mokri. The cabby said she appeared "messy", smelt of alcohol and was holding a high-heeled shoe.
Crying and mumbling, she told him she wanted to go to the nearest police station because she had been raped. The cabby then picked up his friend, Ms Normah Salim, who suggested the Geylang Neighbourhood Police Centre. During the drive there, she kept repeating the words "help" and "police", said Ms Normah.
At the station, the woman, barefoot and with wounds on her elbows and knees, told Staff Sergeant Loi Jun Feng what happened to her but could not give full details as she was "very emotional", he said.
On May 5, Haliffie sent text messages to his best friend Abdul Hafiz Ayub, saying he would go to prison and asked him to take care of his family.
Haliffie's former wife, Madam Yunizar Hambali, said he did not return home after they quarrelled on May 3. In the early morning of May 5, she found their car at the carpark near their home. She found perfume and her husband's wallet under the steering wheel and $130 in the glove compartment.
Later that day, when Haliffie sent her a text message, she replied that she guessed he had committed a crime. Haliffie said he would surrender after seeing their son. On the night of May 6, police officers came to arrest him.
The trial continues today.
