71-year-old woman with dementia repeatedly raped by man who helped her home

What began as an act of kindness turned into months of sexual abuse, after a man repeatedly returned to assault a 71-year-old woman with severe dementia.

The abuse came to light only after one of the victim's sons reviewed CCTV footage from his mother's home and saw Mohamad Zakir Jaafar allegedly engaging in the sexual acts.

Zakir, 55, pleaded guilty on Tuesday (July 7) to two charges of rape and one charge of outrage of modesty, according to court documents obtained by AsiaOne.

Two other outrage of modesty charges, as well as three charges relating to Zakir's possession of two knuckle dusters and a plastic replica handgun, will be taken into consideration during sentencing.

Prosecutors told the High Court that the victim was diagnosed with dementia in February 2019 and subsequently scored 0/10 on a mental test, which indicated the severity of her dementia.

The Institute of Mental Health assessed that the victim lacked the mental capacity to consent to a sexual relationship.

Targeted a vulnerable person

Zakir first became aware of the victim in June 2022, after his wife came across her while she was lost and helped her return home.

Zakir's wife later told him about the incident, and that she suspected the woman was senile.

About a week later, Zakir ran into the victim at a mall in their neighbourhood.

As he walked her home, she told him that she lived alone and that her sons visited occasionally.

Between June 2022 and January 2023, Zakir visited the victim's flat at least four times. 

He would typically visit late at night after work, show the victim pornographic videos before performing sexual acts on her.

He told the court that he believed he could get away with the offences because the victim appeared to be suffering from dementia. 

Caught on CCTV

When Zakir went to the victim's flat on Jan 3, 2023, his actions were captured by a CCTV camera installed by the victim's sons in the living room.

After the victim's younger son reviewed the footage, he alerted his brother, who lodged a police report. Zakir was arrested the same day.

Prosecutors described the case "an egregious sexual assault case" in which the accused repeatedly exploited a vulnerable victim who had "no mental capacity" in their sentencing arguments.

Those convicted of rape can be jailed for up to 20 years, fined or caned. The maximum penalty is doubled if the victim is a vulnerable person.

The case has been adjourned for sentencing at a later date. 

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