Ex-yoga instructor given jail in 2024 for molestation granted discharge over 2 remaining charges
Ex-yoga instructor given jail in 2024 for molestation granted discharge over 2 remaining charges
SINGAPORE – A former yoga instructor, who was sentenced to jail and caning in August 2024 for molesting three victims, has been granted a discharge over his two remaining charges linked to a fourth woman.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times on May 2, the Attorney-General's Chambers said: 'After careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the matter, including the (woman's) relocation from Singapore, the prosecution applied for a discharge amounting to an acquittal for the two... charges.'
The court then granted Indian national Rajpal Singh, 35, the discharge on March 19.
This means he cannot be charged again over the same offences linked to the two charges.
Singh had been accused of molesting the 26-year-old woman on two occasions at Trust Yoga in Telok Ayer Street between June 2019 and March 2020.
In August 2024, he was sentenced to 23 months' jail and four strokes of the cane for molesting three other women when he was conducting classes with them.
At the time of these offences, he was working at Trust Yoga where all three victims were members.
After a 13-day trial, District Judge Sharmila Sripathy convicted him in May 2024 of five molestation charges involving the three women, referred to as Ms C, Ms V and Ms R.
Singh was acquitted of three other molestation charges involving a fifth woman, Ms Y.
Ms C, who was 24 at the time, attended Singh's class from 4.30pm to 5.30pm on July 11, 2020.
She was in a yoga position called a 'forward fold' when he molested her. She was in another pose when he outraged her modesty again.
Ms V, who was then around 24 years old, attended classes from Sept 30, 2019, to July 29, 2020, and Singh molested her twice within that time.
Ms R was 28 years old when Singh molested her during a class in November 2019.
Singh was accused of molesting Ms Y, who was then 37 years old, on three occasions in 2020.
However, the judge had found that Ms Y's continued support of Singh 'incongruent' with her molestation allegations. He was then acquitted of three molestation charges involving Ms Y.
Following Singh's sentencing in 2024, the court heard that he will be appealing against his conviction and sentence. His bail was then set at $50,000.
Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times' court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts.
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