Amandeep Singh: North Albury man masturbates in grocery store

A court has heard how a grub who masturbated in front of a Lavington grocery store worker had just completed a four-month sentence for a similar offence.

Murray Indian Groceries. Picture: Google Maps.

A North Albury man has drunkenly masturbated in front of a grocery store worker just a day after he finished a four-month sentence for a similar offence.

On Monday Amandeep Singh appeared in Albury Local Court, via video link, after pleading guilty to engaging in a sexual act with another without consent.

Court documents revealed in December, 2020, the 31-year-old entered Murray Indian Groceries in Lavington and started rubbing his genitals on the outside of his pants.
He told the female staff member that he felt like fast food, and she told him they only had frozen meals.

The female employee led Singh to were the frozen meals were while he kept rubbing his genitals.

The victim told police she could smell alcohol on the accused, and that he kept saying: “It’s hard, I need to put it in.”

The victim said she ignored Singh and quickly let him pay for the $3 meal via Eftpos, despite the usual limit being $10, because she wanted him to leave the store as soon as possible.

After Singh left the store, the victim broke down in tears and told her employer what happened, who then called the police.

Singh’s defence solicitor said the accused had moved to Australia to work as a chef, and had a wife and child back in India who he hadn’t been able to see due to the pandemic.

His solicitor said Singh’s time in custody had been good for him as he had abstained from alcohol, and started taking medication for depression.

The court heard Singh had just completed a four-month sentence for a similar incident in Victoria.

Police prosecutor Andrew Pike said the threshold for jail had been crossed.

Magistrate Richard Funston was appalled at how Singh had offended so quickly after he completed a jail sentence.

“Anyone who walks out of a four month jail sentence for a similar offence then does this a day later …” Mr Funston said.

Singh was sentenced to a nine-month Intensive Corrections Order with supervision, on the condition that he abstain from alcohol.