A 33-year-old safety coordinator went on trial in the High Court yesterday for raping and molesting his biological mother at their home.
The bespectacled, clean-cut man, who faces one count each of rape, molestation and aggravated molestation, pleaded not guilty to the three charges.
The alleged offences were committed at about 2.30am on Oct 4, 2013, in the family's one-bedroom flat.
Besides allegedly raping his 56-year-old mother, the man is accused of restraining her as he molested her.
He cannot be named as a court order bars the publication of any information which could lead to the identification of the woman.
Opening the prosecution's case, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sellakumaran told the court that the man, the second of three sons, lived with his mother and stepfather in the flat.
In the early hours of Oct 4, 2013, the victim was alone at home sleeping when her son returned.
During the trial, the court will hear testimony of how the accused "molested and raped his own mother despite her pleas for him to stop", the DPP said.
He told the court that, after the alleged attack, the victim left the flat at 6am - the earliest available opportunity - and made her way to the home of one of her other two sons.
Along the way, she called the accused on one of her mobile phones and used the other one to record their conversation about what had transpired in the flat earlier that morning.
The audio recording will be played during the trial for the court to hear the victim's distress and how she was struggling to make sense of the accused's actions, the DPP said.
The prosecution will present evidence from 22 witnesses, including the victim's extended family, who will testify that she was visibly distraught and distressed when they met her hours after the alleged sexual assault.
Doctors who examined the victim will also take the stand.
The first witness to testify yesterday was a DNA analyst from the Health Sciences Authority who examined the victim's blouse, although two samples found on it were too weak for confirmatory tests.
The courtroom was then cleared for the victim to testify. She will return to the stand when the trial continues on Thursday.
The man, first charged in 2013, was originally scheduled to go on trial in November last year.
But the trial was postponed so he could decide if he wanted prominent lawyers Harry Elias and Chelva Rajah to defend him under the Law Society's Criminal Legal Aid Scheme.
He had previously changed two sets of lawyers.
A team led by Senior Counsel Elias is currently representing him.
Rape carries a sentence of up to 20 years' jail, and caning or a fine.
Aggravated molestation carries a punishment of between two and 10 years' jail and caning; molestation carries up to two years' jail, with caning or a fine, or both.
