SINGAPORE, June 29 — After a night of celebration and drinks at a karaoke lounge together, a man drove his drunk female companion to her home, allegedly returning later on to break in and rape her.

Yap Pow Foo, a 47-year-old Singaporean, is accused of one count each of rape and housebreaking, a court heard on the first day of his trial yesterday (June 28). The alleged victim is a 39-year-old China national.

Yap also allegedly harassed another woman in a separate incident, though the prosecution did not proceed on this charge.

On January 29 in 2017, the alleged victim and five of her friends — three women and two men — were at the victim’s home drinking while playing mahjong to celebrate the Chinese New Year, court documents showed.

The group then headed to HaveFun, a karaoke pub in Bugis, to continue their revelry. Yap joined them later that night.

Deputy Public Prosecutors (DPPs) Chong Kee En and Susanna Yim told the court that Yap was friends with one of the men, though he did not know the alleged victim before then.

The alleged victim was already intoxicated when Yap arrived, they said.

The group left the karaoke lounge 45 minutes past midnight. It was Yap who drove the alleged victim and four others to their respective homes.

The alleged victim was the first to be dropped off at her home. As she was heavily intoxicated, she had to be carried by two friends to her home.

While the pair were putting her to bed, Yap entered the home. The three of them, including Yap, later left her home and locked the door behind them.

Prosecutors said that one of the friends slipped the key underneath the door after locking it.

Later on, Yap allegedly made his way back to the victim's home at around 3am, after driving the others back home.

He was said to have extracted the key from under the door and used it to enter her home.

Then, he allegedly raped her while she was unconscious. She woke up to find Yap on top of her, the prosecutors said.

Surveillance footage that were submitted as evidence showed Yap leaving the home at 3.44am.

About 25 minutes later, the woman called the police to report that she had been raped. She went to the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital for a medical examination in the morning.

Yap was arrested that afternoon.

Prosecutors said Yap told the police that he returned to her home seeking sex because of her "intimate behaviour” with him during the night at the karaoke pub.

She had hugged him and invited him to her home, Yap claimed. She had also given him her phone number and told him the security code to access the building where she lived.

Yap claimed that he had removed her clothes and that as he started rubbing himself on her, she opened her eyes. He also claimed to have sexually penetrated her by accident.

His DNA was later found inside the woman’s shorts, as well as in a swab sample taken from her body, prosecutors told the court.

A toxicology report of the woman’s blood and urine samples found that she had an estimated blood alcohol concentration at the time of the alleged offence that would have been consistent with significant mental and physical impairment.

The trial continues with the alleged victim set to take the stand yesterday afternoon.

In its opening statements, the prosecution said that it will lead evidence from 36 witnesses to prove its case against Yap.

Yap is represented by defence lawyers SS Dhillon and Suppiah Krishnamurthi.

If convicted for rape, he could be jailed up to 20 years, fined and caned.

For the housebreaking charge, he faces a maximum jail term of five years. As he was previously convicted of housebreaking and theft by night, he could also be caned. ― TODAY