Rajinder Singh: Sikh priest sentencing for preying on underage girls

A “horny” Sikh priest who preyed on underage girls, asking young girls for kisses and sexually touching another inside a public bathroom, has limited insight into his abhorrent behaviour a court has heard.

A “horny” Sikh priest who preyed on underage girls in western Sydney, asking young girls for kisses and sexually touching an 11-year-old girl inside a public bathroom, has limited insight into his abhorrent behaviour a court has heard.

Rajinder Singh, 26, who resided at the Sikh Centre in Jamisontown where he was a priest, appeared at Penrith Local Court on Friday where he cried when he realised he would be

remanded in custody for another three weeks.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of intentionally do sexual act with child over 10 and under 16 and three counts of stalk or intimidate intending fear of physical harm.

Rajinder Singh approached two teenage girls at Tench Reserve, Jamisontown before travelling to Cables water park. Image: Google Maps.

The priest was arrested when he tried to get underage girls, aged 13 and 14, to kiss him at the Nepean River. After his attempts failed he went to a nearby location and entered a female bathroom where he touched an 11-year-old girl getting changed, before fleeing on his pushbike.

“I wish to humbly say to the court that I seek to apologise to everyone. I am away from my family,” Singh said, via a Punjabi interpreter.

“How much longer will I have to be in here?”

Singh’s family reside in India and his lawyer told the court his client was remorseful and was likely facing deportation.

“The only ambition he expresses for himself is to be deported to his country and be reunited with his family,” Singh’s lawyer said.

The court heard that Singh has no criminal history.

“I ask your honour to accept that the offending seems to be spontaneous and unplanned,” Singh’s lawyer said.

Singh appeared at Penrith Courthouse.

The court heard a report by a psychologist showed a lack of insight and understanding of the Australian judicial system.

“In my submission, there is an aspect of naivety in his understanding of the wider community. I don’t make that submission in terms of moral culpability of the offence, just to explain his lack of understanding,” the lawyer said.

The prosecution, however, did not agree with this claim and maintained a jail sentence was the only appropriate option.

“The offending has been described as spontaneous. It may be splitting hairs but in my submission it is more clearly opportunistic offending,” she said.

“He targeted girls who were in an isolated area. He was not deterred by the victims’ attempts to get him to leave them alone.”

The prosecution said the sentence needed to reflect the seriousness of the offending against the three underage girls.

The prosecutor told the court didn’t believe Singh had good rehabilitation prospects.

“He has been assessed at a medium to high rate of sexual reoffending,” she said.

“It has long been understood that sexual offences against children have a deleterious effect on the victims.”

“The sentence must reflect the harm to the victims.”

Singh has been remanded in custody since his arrest. He will sentenced later this month.