indica News Bureau-
An Indian-origin man has been convicted of raping a woman, after helping her find a place to live in the Queens. Ashok Singh, 59, of Pennsylvania was convicted at trial of rape, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. He has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
Singh was accused of 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, reported Daily Excelsior.
According to trial testimony, in December 2015, Singh met the victim, who was looking for a rental apartment and offered to help her find a place to stay.
Four days later, Singh called the woman and told her he had found a place and that she needed to move in immediately. Singh helped the then-40-year-old woman move in.
Later, he also went grocery shopping for food and wine and returned to the basement apartment in Queens.
The victim refused to drink alcohol with Singh and he went into a rage. He threw her on the bed and raped her.
When he fell asleep, the victim ran out of the apartment and contacted a friend for help, the Queens District Attorney’s office said.
The police were notified and the victim was treated at an area hospital. While the victim was at the hospital, Singh called her and left a voicemail message on her cell phone.
He said he was sorry and he would never do it again without her permission.
Singh’s DNA was a match to vaginal swabs taken from the victim at the hospital during a sexual assault evidence collection exam.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said, “The victim met the defendant in a Queen’s 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 apologized 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.
