Truck driver Shamsher Singh (Source: NZ Herald)
A married father of two has been jailed for six years and nine months in New Zealand after raping a woman he met on a dating app during a late-night cargo flight.33-year-old Shamsher Singh, of Indian origin, assaulted the victim inside the cab of his commercial van while it was parked on an isolated stretch of highway between Nelson and Blenheim, the NZ Herald reports.Singh was convicted of rape and sexual assault. Despite the medical evidence and guilty verdict, Singh denied any wrongdoing.The incident happened in January 2024 after the couple connected online and met for lunch in Nelson. When he learned that the woman’s father was a truck driver, Singh invited her to accompany him on commercial deliveries during the night. The victim accepted the invitation because her childhood memories of traveling with her father made her feel safe around trucks.The assault occurred during the return trip in the early hours of the morning. The victim was sleeping on the bed inside the car when Singh stopped in the remote Rai Valley area and immediately launched a physical attack.When the woman resisted, Singh told her: “Fuck, I’m horny, let’s do this,” before pinning her and forcing himself on her.Prosecutor Sophie O’Donoghue said the victim was vulnerable, given she was stranded in a completely isolated area with no means of escape.
O’Donoghue said Singh ignored the woman’s plight and later tried to deflect blame by claiming the victim had a choice and could have escaped sooner.After the assault, Singh drove back to a freight depot in Nelson, where the victim fled and called police. A medical examination later revealed bruises all over her body.In court, the woman said, crying, that the attack destroyed her sense of security and destroyed her childhood memories.
Addressing Singh directly, she said: “You stole those happy memories from me when you caught me and raped me. You left me feeling disgusted and ashamed, blaming myself for what happened and for getting into your truck.”During sentencing, Judge Harrop said responsibility for the crime rested solely with the offender. He also said Singh did not engage in restorative justice, did not apologize, and showed no remorse, so he did not get the usual sentence reductions.Defense lawyer Paul Borich, of Kansas City, said the assault was “an incident out of character for Singh,” citing his steady work record and support from his family and the South Island branch of the New Zealand Sikh Association. He also said that Singh’s wife still supports him despite the impact it has had on their family.Judge Harrop set an initial sentence of eight years in prison. He then reduced it slightly because of Singh’s previous good character and by 10% because of the financial and emotional difficulties his imprisonment would cause his wife and two young children.Singh received a final sentence of six years and nine months in prison for the rape, along with a concurrent two-year sentence for the sexual assault charge
