Dating app rape trial: Two men sentenced to jail, deportation over Canberra rape
Two Indian nationals have been jailed for raping a Canberra woman they met on the dating app Tango.
Randir Singh, 21, and Adjitpal Singh, 33, were sentenced to eight and 12 years' jail respectively.
The men were each found guilty of five charges, including rape and unlawful confinement.
The court heard Randir Singh made contact with the woman on an app called Tango.
The victim agreed to have sex with him, but when she arrived at the agreed place Adjitpal Singh was also present.
When the woman tried to back out Adjitpal Singh threatened to show the woman's husband the text messages she had sent to Randir Singh.
Ajitpal Singh also told the victim that he knew where her son went to school.
The men then took the woman to an apartment in Belconnen, where they repeatedly raped her.
Randir Singh will be eligible for parole in 2019, and Adjitpal Singh in 2021.
The court heard the men were expected to be deported once they had served their sentences.
Victim afraid to go out in public
In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman said she was now fearful to go out in public and for her children's safety.
The court also heard that news of the men's convictions had made it back to India, and they would feel embarrassed and ashamed to return to their small-town communities.
In sentencing, Justice Steven Rares said the case should set a strong precedent for other abuses of online dating applications.
"In an internet age where men and women go on these dating sites... it's important to protect the community," he said.
While Justice Rares took into account that Adjitpal Singh was Randir Singh's boss and was more than 10 years older, he said Randir Singh had been vital to the whole plan.
"He played a highly active role and should not be seen as any less culpable than Adjitpal Singh," he said.
