She said she had been robbed of her voice, her rights as a woman and of the precious memories she once had of spending time on the road with her truck driver father.
Truck driver Shamsher Singh walks into the dock at the Nelson District Court for sentencing on charges of rape and sexual assault. Photo / Tracy Neal
Crown prosecutor Sophie O’Donoghue said the victim, who suffered severe bruising from being grabbed and being forcibly held down in the attack, was especially vulnerable having been stuck in the middle of nowhere, in the early hours of the morning.
O’Donoghue said Singh had displayed “complete indifference” to the victim, who had not demonstrated any interest in sexual activity with him, other than a “peck” on the cheek outside the truck.
Singh had also told her afterwards, as detailed in a pre-sentence report, that the victim “had a choice” and “could have escaped sooner”.
“Her options for escape were limited,” O’Donoghue said during today’s sentencing in the Nelson District Court.
“He raped her in the cruddy cab of a truck in the middle of nowhere.”
‘Safe and secure’ with dad
The victim spoke through her tears of growing up, “safe and secure” riding in the cab of the truck with her dad from the age of 5.
It’s why she agreed to go with Singh on the commercial freight run between Nelson and Marlborough, and back again.
“You stole those happy memories from me when you held me down and raped me,” the woman said.
“You left me feeling disgusted and ashamed and I blamed myself for what happened, and for getting in your truck.”
Crown prosecutor Sophie O’Donoghue says Shamsher Singh raped a vulnerable woman in the “cruddy cab of a truck in the middle of nowhere”. Photo / Tracy Neal
Singh, 33, was found guilty by a jury but continued to deny he had done anything wrong.
Met on dating app
The pair connected on a dating app and had lunch in Nelson on a day in January 2024.
When the woman told Singh her father was a truck driver, and that she had grown up around trucks, he invited her to join him on the night run to Blenheim.
They left Nelson just after 9pm and started the return journey after midnight.
The woman had been asleep on the bed in the truck cab when Singh, who had pulled off the road in Rai Valley, about halfway between Nelson and Blenheim, “pounced” on her immediately after he stopped the vehicle, Judge Stephen Harrop said.
He described it as an attack because Singh continued to grab the woman despite her repeated objections.
When she continued to fight him, he said, “F*** it, I’m horny, let’s do it”, pinned her down and raped her, then asked if she was okay.
Once back in Nelson, she left the freight depot and immediately called the police.
Judge Harrop said a subsequent medical examination revealed her significant bruising, which “spoke of the level of resistance” and Singh’s level of force.
He said regardless of what happened beforehand, what mattered was what happened in the Rai Valley, which was what Singh was being sentenced for.
Judge Harrop said aggravating features included that the woman had been alone in the truck, she didn’t know where she was, and it was in the early hours of the morning.
“She was in a very vulnerable situation, and you raped her,” Judge Harrop said.
He said the additional violence made it worse, as was Singh’s continual denial of the offending.
He was not remorseful, offered no apology and had not attended restorative justice, all factors that might have led to a reduction in his sentence.
‘Out of character’
Defence lawyer Paul Borich, KC, said Singh was married, had two young children and had a sound work history. He was held in high regard by friends and colleagues and had received a letter of support from the South Island branch of the NZ Sikh Society.
Borich said while it was devastating for Singh’s family, his wife remained supportive.
He said it was an “out-of-character incident” and sought credit for Singh’s previous good character.
The Crown submitted that any credit had to be tempered with Singh’s view he had “nothing to be rehabilitated from”.
From a starting point of eight years in prison, Singh was awarded a minor credit for his previous good character and a further 10% for the impact his imprisonment would have on his young family, including emotional and financial hardship.
“They are innocent victims of your offending,” Judge Harrop said.
The total 15% credit took the sentence to six years and nine months on the lead charge of rape.
Singh was also sentenced to two years in prison for the charge of sexual assault, to be served concurrently.
Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail.