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Singh is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 19. He faces up to 25 years in prison.
By Forum Staff
A Pennsylvania resident who helped a woman find an apartment in Richmond Hill has been convicted at trial of raping her.
Ashok Singh, 58, of West Milton Street in Easton, Pennsylvania forced himself on the victim after helping her move into the basement apartment in December of 2015.
“The victim in this case met the defendant at a temple and trusted him when he offered to help her find a place to live. Sadly, she had no idea he was a predator. The defendant raped the victim and later apologized for the attack and promised to ‘never do it again without her permission, “ said Acting DA John M Ryan. “A jury weighed all the evidence and found the defendant guilty. He will now be incarcerated as punishment for this heinous crime.”
Following a 2-week-long trial, Singh was found guilty yesterday of first- and third-degree rape, and second-degree unlawful imprisonment before Queens Acting Supreme Court Justice Gia L. Morris. The defendant will be sentenced on December 19, 2019, at which time he faces up to 25 years in prison.
According to trial testimony, on December 26, 2015, the victim visited a house of worship to see if anyone had posted an apartment for rent on the bulletin board there. At the temple, she encountered the defendant.
They talked and he offered to help her find a place to stay and they exchanged phone numbers. Four days later, the defendant called the woman and said he found her a place and that she needed to move in immediately. Singh helped the then-40-year-old woman move in. And afterwards, he went grocery shopping for food and wine and returned to the basement apartment in Richmond Hill, Queens.
When the victim refused to drink alcohol with Singh, he went into a rage, throwing her on the bed and forcibly raping her. After Singh fell asleep, the victim ran out of the apartment and contacted a friend for help. 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 in sum and substance that he was sorry and he would never do it again without her permission.
Furthermore, the defendant’s DNA was a match to vaginal swabs taken from the victim at the hospital during a sexual assault evidence collection exam.
