By IANS
Sydney : Jagdeep Singh, who posed as a police officer and assaulted two teenage girls while visiting his sister in Brisbane, was Tuesday sentenced to six months in jail, but freed after serving only 10 days.
Singh, 27, pleaded guilty in the Brisbane District Court Tuesday to three counts of common assault and one for impersonating as a police officer.
He was sentenced to six months in jail, but walked free after having served 10 days in custody.
The court was told that Singh, who was visiting his sister in Brisbane in November 1996, had approached two 15- and 16-year-old girls as they were walking through a park after finishing an exam.
The court heard that Singh told the girls he was a police officer and accused them of being sexually intimate in public.
He convinced them to give him their names and addresses, and searched their bags on the pretext of looking for drugs. He then searched one of the girl’s pockets and fondled her leg through the material, the court was told. Singh was later arrested.
The Indian tourist’s lawyer reportedly asked the judge not to record a conviction, saying Singh wanted to return to Australia to work. However, Judge John McGill said this should not be taken into account when sentencing.