A married New Zealand father-of-two has been jailed for six years and nine months for raping a woman he met on a dating app during a late-night freight trip.According to the New Zealand Herald, 33-year-old Indian-born Shamsher Singh parked his commercial truck on a remote stretch of highway between Nelson and Blenheim and attacked the victim in the cab.Singh was found guilty of rape and sexual assault. Despite the medical evidence and guilty verdict, Singer denied any wrongdoing.The incident occurred in January 2024 when the two contacted online and met for lunch in Nelson. After learning that the woman’s father was a truck driver, Singh invited her to accompany him on a commercial delivery at night. The victim accepted the invitation because her childhood memories of traveling with her father made her feel safe around the truck.The attack occurred in the early hours of the morning on the way back. The victim was sleeping on a bed in the car when Singh stopped the car in the remote Rye Valley and immediately launched a physical attack.When the woman fought back, Singer told her, “Fuck, I’m horny, let’s do this,” before pushing her to the ground and forcing himself on top of her.Crown prosecutor Sophie O’Donoghue said the victim was vulnerable because she was trapped in a completely isolated area with no way to escape. O’Donoghue said Singer ignored the woman’s pain and later tried to deflect blame by claiming the victim had options and could have escaped more quickly.After the attack, Singh drove back to Nelson Freight Station, where the victim fled and contacted police. A physical examination later revealed bruises all over her body.In court, the woman cried and said the attack had destroyed her sense of security and ruined her childhood memories. Addressing Singer directly, she said: “When you held me down and raped me, you stole those happy memories from me. You made me feel sick and ashamed and I blame myself for what happened and for getting into your truck.”In handing down the sentence, Judge Harrop said the responsibility for the crime rested solely with the offender. He also said Singh did not engage in restorative justice, apologized or showed remorse and therefore did not receive the usual reduced sentence.Defense lawyer Paul Borich, KC, said the attack was an “out of character incident” for Singh, pointing to his stable work record and the support of his family and the South Island branch of the New Zealand Sikh Association. He also said that despite the impact on the family, Singh’s wife still supports him.Judge Harrop sentenced him to an initial sentence of eight years in prison. He then slightly reduced the award by 10 percent due to Singer’s previous good character and because his sentence would cause financial and emotional hardship on his wife and two young children.Singh was ultimately sentenced to six years and nine months for rape and two years for sexual assault.
