Indian-origin man sentenced to 7 years in prison for rape conviction

An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to seven years in prison in the US after he was found guilty of rape.

Ashok Singh, 59, of Pennsylvania was convicted at trial of forcible rape, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said on Monday.

He has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Singh was accused of forcibly raping a woman after he had helped her find a place to live and aided her in moving in a basement apartment in Queens in December of 2015.

"The victim met the defendant in a Queens temple and trusted him when he offered to assist her in finding a place to live. This defendant, however, was a predator who waited for an opportunity to victimize this woman.

"In the victim's new home, the defendant forced himself on her and then later apologised for the attack telling her he would 'never do it again without permission,'" Katz said.

In November 2019, Singh was found guilty of rape in the first and third degree and unlawful imprisonment in the second degree.

Queens Supreme Court Justice Gia Morris sentenced Singh to seven year in prison, which will be followed by five years' post release supervision. He is also required to register as a sex offender.

Katz said that, according to trial testimony, the victim, a 40-year-old woman, visited a temple to look for rental postings on the bulletin board.

At this place of worship, she met Singh, who offered to help her find a place to live. They exchanged phone numbers and four days later, Singh called her with news that he'd found her an apartment and that she needed to move in right away.

Singh helped the woman move into the unit and afterwards, he went grocery shopping for food and wine and returned to the apartment.

According to trial testimony, the victim turned down the offer of wine, at which Singh became enraged. Singh threw her on the bed and forcibly raped her. When he fell asleep, the victim ran out of the apartment, contacted a friend for help and the police were called.

Later, at an area hospital where the victim was being treated, Singh called her and left a voicemail message on her cell phone. He said that he was sorry and that he would never do it again without her permission.