A
49-year-old self-confessed alcoholic drank 10 cans of beer before he terrorised
a 62-year-old factory operator at knifepoint and repeatedly assaulted, and
raped her last year.
At
the High Court on Friday (16 November), Paramjit Singh Minder Singh, who turns
50 next month, was sentenced to 18 years’ jail with 24 strokes of the cane. He
pleaded guilty to one charge of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated
sexual assault by penetration.
Three
other charges – for use of criminal force to outrage the modesty of a person,
possession of a weapon and criminal trespass – were taken into consideration in
sentencing.
Accused drank 10 cans of beer
On
the morning of 10 May last year, Singh, who worked as a cleaner at 47 Ayer
Rajah Crescent and was off from work, drank five cans of beer at Kembangan MRT
station. He then went back to his rented room at a shophouse in Kembangan for a
nap.
After
waking up, he drank three more cans of beer and bought another two cans, which
he drank shortly after. He then went to 28 Ayer Rajah Crescent – where he had
previously worked – to relax as it was the Vesak Day holiday and he thought
there would not be anyone there, the court heard.
At
about 6.45pm, Singh saw a 62-year-old factory operator walking on the second
floor corridor towards the female toilet. With a foldable knife with a 9cm
blade in his back pocket, Singh followed her and waited outside the toilet
cubicle.
When
the victim opened the door and walked out, Singh pointed the knife at her
throat and told her to go back in. He then locked the door.
Accused hit, threatened victim
repeatedly
The
victim refused to remove her clothes, and offered Singh money and her gold
bracelet. But he pointed the knife at her throat, pulled her hair, and hit her
head numerous times with his hand. Terrified, the victim complied.
Singh
threatened her with the knife again when she refused to perform a sexual act on
him.
Shortly
after, he hit her head, pulled her hair, and pointed the knife at her throat
from behind. She feared for her life and he raped her.
Later,
when she again refused to perform a sexual act on him, he hit her head several
times and pointed the knife at her throat.
Colleagues saw victim crying
Singh
took a taxi to Kembangan MRT station before walking home.
The
victim went back to her office where she cried near the lockers. A colleague
who saw her crying very badly asked her what had happened. The colleague also
saw that the victim’s scalp and cheeks were red. She went to inform their
supervisor who called the police.
Later
that night, Singh went back to his workplace at 28 Ayer Rajah Crescent to sleep
as he had to work there the next day. The police arrested him the same night.
The foldable knife was found on him.
The
victim was examined at the National University Hospital. She had a cut on the
back of her neck, bruises on her knee and a fresh tear on the hymen.
A
psychiatric report stated that the victim sometimes thought about the ordeal
but accepted that it was not her fault.
Prosecution asks for deterrence and
retribution
In
seeking a deterrent and retributive sentence of at least 18 years’ jail with 24
strokes of the cane, Deputy Public Prosecutor Raja Mohan pointed out the
“egregious” nature of Singh’s actions.
Singh
had put the victim in fear of death, compelled her with a knife, and imposed
“palpable fear and terror in the victim”, said the prosecutor.
Singh,
who has a string of offences dating back to when he was 17 for crimes such as
theft and drug offences, also committed the rape less than seven months out of
prison.
In
October 2016, he was jailed two months for assault or use of criminal force on
a public servant. He was also jailed for two months in May that year for being
armed with weapon.
The
punishments for aggravated rape and aggravated sexual assault by penetration is
between eight and 20 years’ jail, with not less than 12 strokes of the cane.
Source : yahoonews
The Best
Small Businesses Opportunities for 2018
Welcome to my list of the best small businesses
opportunities for 2018, chosen from across a variety of industries. To make my
list, these businesses must:
have the
potential to be profitable now and for many years in the future;
be able to
do well even in uncertain economic times;
not
require a PhD or decades of experience. Some require trade school training, a
university degree or a prior apprenticeship, while others need only some prior
experience and a passion for the industry.
not
require large amounts of startup capital, but only what every startup business
requires: dedication, hard work, perseverance and a desire to succeed.
Most of these opportunities can be operated as
home-based businesses.
If your goal in life is to become very wealthy,
chances are you won't get there as a small business owner. But you'll have a
chance to generate a healthy income, be your own boss and make all the
decisions. You could potentially have a more flexible lifestyle. Building
something from the ground up can make starting a business very rewarding in
itself.
Here are my picks for the best small business ideas
based on current trends in business and demographics.
01. Virtual
Reality
young asian man with VR in modern cafe
Virtual reality computing (VR) is a huge leap
forward in immersing the user in a realistic sensory experience. Hardware and
software vendors are working furiously to bring new VR products to the
marketplace and the industry is growing at a parabolic rate - according to
statista by 2020 the worldwide size of the VR market will be in excess of $40
billion.
The potential uses of virtual reality for business
or pleasure are practically limitless, for example:
3D movies
- watching a movie in 360 degree VR
Real
estate marketing - imagine searching for a new home and being able to take an
online VR walk through of an advertised house from the comfort of your desk
chair
Gaming -
VR is revolutionizing the gaming industry, with new VR titles being released on
an almost weekly basis
Team-building exercises - shaking up team building events with a group
VR experience
Social
media VR interaction - friends will be able to interact in a virtual online
space
Training -
VR can inject a much higher degree of realism into training scenarios. Many
businesses (such as UPS) are launching new delivery driver training programs
using VR.
Meditation
- VR is ideal for customized meditation
VR "escape rooms" and lounges (where
groups of people get together to play VR games or go on VR adventures and/or
solve group puzzles) are experiencing phenomenal growth. If you are tech savvy
and interested in the technology, virtual reality could be the business
opportunity for you.
02. Skilled Trades Welder
It's unfortunate that nowadays that some parents
have a tendency to discourage their children from considering skilled trades as
a career choice, in part due of the erroneous belief that trades are poorly
paid. In fact, skilled tradespeople are generally very well paid and enjoy
satisfying careers.
It has been estimated that 40% of current
tradespeople will be retiring in the next decade, creating a huge demand for
talented workers in trades such as:
·
Welding
·
Carpentry and general construction
·
Plumbing, pipefitting and steamfitting
·
Electrical and electronic control systems
·
Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and
refrigeration (HVAC)
·
Machinists and Metalworkers
·
Masonry
·
Steelworking
The nature of skilled trades makes them ideally
suited for self-employment:
High
salaries and strong demand for experienced tradespeople in most locations
Most
trades can be operated as home-based businesses as the work is performed at the
customer job site
Compared
to many businesses, startup capital costs are relatively low for most skilled
trades, and most cannot be automated to any degree, ensuring future job
security
The
ability to relocate to other jurisdictions where demand is stronger. Many
experienced tradespeople take advantage of opportunities in remote or overseas
locations to command much higher levels of compensation.
Why not take advantage of the demand and consider
one of the skilled trades as your next business opportunity? Using rollover for
business.
03. Software Engineering and Development
Young computer programmer at a startup company
Software engineers and developers create, test and
maintain software on a variety of platforms, from mainframes to mobile devices.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for software
developers is expected to increase by 17 percent each year through 2023, and
the median pay in 2014 was slightly over $100,000 per year.
The nature of the software development industry
makes it ideal for contract employment. Many software engineers start out as
salaried employees and eventually become self-employed contractors. Cloud
computing and ease of remote access make software development an ideal
home-based business.
04. Children's Services
Small children jumping on bosu balls on training
class.
There are business opportunities in a variety of
areas in the children's services market, including:
Quality
preschool education, including environmentally-focused offerings such as
outdoor preschools
If you enjoy working with children and have
instructional training and/or experience, why not turn it into a business?
05. Home Renovations
Contractor
If construction is in your blood and you think you
would enjoy making clients' home renovation dreams come true why not turn it
into a business?
Ask almost anyone who is needs repairs or
renovations done on their home (or business) - remodeling contractors are hard
to find and the good ones are always busy. Home renovation is one business that
always seems to do well, even in uncertain economic times.
Statistics show that the average home owner in the
U.S. spends approximately $3000 per year on home improvements - generating a
lot of business for carpenters, painters, drywallers, roofers, tilers, and
other tradespeople.
The home renovations business is ideally suited to
self-employed individuals for a number of reasons:
Most
renovations are performed on a contract basis
Startup
capital investment for tools and machinery is typically much less than required
for new construction
Business
premises are not required as the work is performed at the customer location,
making remodeling a perfect home-based businesses
Remodeling contractors provide services in a number
of different ways:
As
individuals, where the contractor performs most or all of the work themselves
As general
contractors, who hire and supervise employees or subcontractor who perform the
work
As specialists in a particular area, such as
bathroom or kitchen renovations, or niches such as restoring historic
structures, improving energy efficiency, or solar installations
To be a successful renovation contractor you should
have:
Extensive
experience in building construction, with hands-on expertise in at least one of
the trades and knowledge of the others
Good
contacts within the industry, so if needed you can call in sub-contractors to
get specialty work performed in a timely fashion (such as architects,
structural engineers, licensed electricians, plumbers, tilers, etc.)
Up-to-date
knowledge of the local building codes and safety regulations
Licensing
and certification if required in your jurisdiction. In the U.S., the National
Association of the Remodeling Industry offers various levels of certification
for remodellers.
Good
organizational skills
06. Bike Sales, Service and Rentals
Bicycles for sale in shop
Given the health and environmental benefits, it's no
wonder that bicycling has become the second most popular outdoor activity in
America by frequency of participation. According to peopleforbikes:
U.S. bike
commuting has grown 47 percent nationwide and 73 percent in the largest cities
over a 10-year period. North American cities are trying hard to increase the
number of people using bikes rather than cars to commute to work.
Americans
spend $81 billion on biking annually, generating 770,000 jobs.
Anything that’s healthy, popular, good for the
environment and heavily promoted by government is a pretty good business bet.
In addition to pedal-only powered bikes, E-bikes have become very popular.
E-bikes can be pedaled without electric power or use electric power to assist,
and sales are expected to hit close to 50 million units by 2018. Regular pedal
bikes can be converted to E-bikes with a kit that allows replacement of the
front or back wheel hub with one containing a small electric motor and adding a
battery and cabling.
If cycling is your passion and you want to become an
entrepreneur, this may be the perfect business opportunity for you.
07. Senior Care Services
Carer holding hand of senior woman
Senior care services continue to rank as one of the
best business opportunities. Demographics play a big role. The first baby
boomers hit age 65 in 2011. The entire baby boomer generation will have will
have reached age 65 by 2030. Seniors will make up 1/4 of the entire U.S.
population. Unfortunately, although they are expected to live longer lives than
previous generations, it's also expected that they'll spend more years in
sickness, according to a report on senior’s health by the not-for-profit United
Health Foundation.
Fortunately, baby boomers are a wealthy demographic
compared to previous generations. For the most part, they can afford to pay for
the services necessary to maintain their lifestyles. This includes continuing
to live at home in their own communities. According to research by the American
Association of Retired Persons (AARP), nearly 90 percent of seniors have this
goal.
Many affluent seniors suffer from various health
and/or mobility issues and are increasingly uncomfortable or unable to drive
their own vehicles. They may find it difficult or impossible to take care of
household chores such as landscaping, cleaning, cooking or caring for their
pets. Others travel extensively and require house sitting or pet sitting and
property maintenance services. All in all, a wealth of opportunities exist for
entrepreneurs who wish to take advantage of the senior care trend. If you're
not interesting in starting your own business from scratch, various senior care
franchise opportunities are available.
08. Body Decoration Services (Piercings and Tattoos)
Tattoo
According to statistics, the tattoo industry
generated $3 billion in revenue in 2014 and continues to grow rapidly:
40 percent
of American households have at least one member with a tattoo, up from 21
percent in 1999
22 percent
of young millennials have at least one tattoo
30 percent
of people aged 25-39 have tattoos and 40 percent of adults aged 30-39
Tattoos
are also popular with middle-aged adults — 30 percent of those aged 40-49 have
at least one
Most tattoo artists learn the trade via an
apprenticeship alongside a professional (typically three years or more). For
health and safety reasons, some jurisdictions require classroom experience.
If you have artistic and creative skills, becoming a
tattoo artist can be an excellent business opportunity.
09. Counseling and Therapy
The mental health field is another profession that
is experiencing increased demand for services. The BLS expects the need for
marriage and family therapists to grow 41 percent by 2020.
The nature of mental health counseling makes it
suitable for private practice. Many professionals in the field make the
occupational choice to start their own counseling businesses. This typically
requires extensive schooling, however, and often post-graduate degree.
10. Financial Advisor/Planner
Businessman meeting with clients
Financial advisers/planners are expected to be in
high demand with a projected growth rate of 30 percent through 2026, according
to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Studies in Canada indicate that only 20
percent of Canadians have confidence in their math and money skills as they
relate to planning for a secure financial future, according to a 2011 survey by
Ipsos Reid for ABC Life Literacy Canada.
Becoming a financial adviser/planner normally
requires a bachelor's degree and additional training in securities management,
leading to licensing/certification. But this is another business that is riding
the demographic wave. A huge pool of baby boomers are headed for retirement,
and they need and want help with their finances. Financial advising and
planning is an ideal business opportunity.
