A New Castle registered sex offender, previously incarcerated for Unlawful Sexual Contact in the Third Degree and Unlawful Imprisonment in the First Degree is headed back to prison for a 2017 rape.
In July of this year, Kharak Singh, 29, pleaded guilty to Rape Third Degree and Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony for an August 2017 incident. Prosecutors said Singh bound, terrorized, beat, raped, choked and threatened to kill a woman over a period of several hours during the 2017 incident.
Last week prosecutors announced that a judge has sentenced Singh to 15 years in prison for the 2017 rape. That will be followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 2 years of probation. He will also have to register as a Tier 3 sex offender.
This latest plea deal comes after Singh served a short stint in prison for 2010 arrest.
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In 2010, then 21, Singh was arrested by Wilmington Police Detectives on multiple counts of Rape in the First Degree, Conspiracy 1st degree, and Kidnapping 2nd degree in connection in connection with a kidnapping and sexual assault that started in Wilmington and ended in the Newark area, according to police.
The investigation into the April 13, 2010, incident began when Wilmington Police Officers were summoned to a home in the 1700 block of Old Cooch’s Bridge Road in Newark at 2:15 in the morning of April 13, 2010.
Arriving officers found a 21-year-old Dover woman who they said was abducted from a Wilmington parking lot and was sexually assaulted.
The victim told police that she along with several friends had taken a bus to the Santé Fe Restaurant, located at 2006 Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilmington, at around 9:30 the previous night. She said that at approximately 11:15 on that Tuesday night, April 13, 2010, she went to the parking lot to get some fresh air and to use her cell phone.
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Authorities said as she was looking down at the phone, two “Hispanic” looking men grabbed her by the arm and forced into a vehicle. She said the men forced her down onto the back seat and the driver pulled away, according to court records. At the time police said that they believed a total of three men were in the vehicle during the incident. The woman said the men continued to drive her around while at least two of the men repeatedly sexually assaulted her. Just after 2:00 am the suspects stopped the car and pushed the victim out onto the ground in the 1700 block of Old Cooch’s Bridge Road in Newark, according to police.
After being pushed from the vehicle a nearby resident called the police to report the incident. The woman was later transported to the Christiana Hospital where she was treated for her injuries.
Singh was picked days later on Saturday, April 17, when Wilmington Police Detectives executed a search warrant at a residence on Dillon Drive in New Castle.
Singh later pled guilty to reduced charges of Unlawful Sexual Contact in the Third Degree and Unlawful Imprisonment in the First Degree. The remaining charges were dismissed or not filed according to court documents. As a result of his plea, Singh was sentenced to three years imprisonment, suspended after one year for decreasing levels of supervision.
Singh later appealed his sentence hoping for a reduction of sentence. As part of the appeal, Singh claimed that the court’s sentencing decision was flawed.
At sentencing, the judge said: “Now, this sentence is above guidelines due to what I consider to be vulnerability of the victim and, to be honest with you, lack of remorse. The first time I heard anything about remorse is what you said here this morning, so that’s why it’s above the six month presumptive sentence. It’s twice the length of the presumptive sentence.”
Singh argued in his 2012 appeal that judge should have considered his presentence report, which he said indicated a showing of remorse.
In that report, Singh said “It was more than I usually drink. That’s not me, I’m not that type of person I am. I feel sorry for what I did and how I made her feel. If somebody did that to my sister (if he had one) I would probably want to kill them. I hurt my family that can’t undo. I feel really sorry about how I made her feel. I accept responsibility. I feel really bad for hurting another human being.”
Singh’s appeal was denied and his sentence was upheld.