An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to six years and nine months in jail by a court in New Zealand for raping a woman in her sleep, media reports said today.
Tajinder Paul Singh, 29, who was in New Zealand on a temporary visitor visa at the time, raped the woman after a party in Christchurch.
"This was a sexual attack on a sleeping and vulnerable complainant," said Christchurch District Court Judge Raoul Neave.
Singh had pleaded guilty shortly before his scheduled trial to charges of rape and improper use of a passport.
During the party, the victim had gone upstairs to sleep when she woke up a while later to find Singh in a compromising position with her, The Press reported.
A day later, the accused travelled to India on a passport he had borrowed as he had not been able to find his own due to a family crisis, the report said.
He returned to New Zealand after a few days.
"There had been significant effects on the woman as a result of Singh's offending and there were other factors contributing to her situation," the judge said.
As per the pre-sentence report, alcohol use was a problem for Singh and he had a moderate risk of re-offending due to this.
