Pritpal and Chamkaur Singh: One of two men accused of Geraldton foreshore rape pleads not guilty

One of two Perth men accused of sexually assaulting a woman on the Geraldton foreshore earlier this year has pleaded not guilty and is set to stand trial.

Co-accuseds Pritpal Singh, 35, and Chamkaur Singh, 34, have been charged with one count each of aggravated sexual penetration without consent.

It is alleged the men — who are from the Perth suburb of Piara Waters and are not related but are known to each other and work together — led an intoxicated woman from the Foreshore Hangout Lounge to the beach along the Geraldton foreshore and sexually assaulted her between 11.50pm on April 4 and 12.40am on April 5.

Both men appeared in Geraldton Magistrates Court on Thursday last week for a committal mention. Pritpal Singh pleaded not guilty and his matter was adjourned to the Geraldton District Court on January 21 next year for a trial listing hearing.

Chamkaur Singh did not enter a plea, and his case was adjourned by consent to October 16 in Geraldton Magistrates Court for another committal mention.

The court has previously been told the prosecution case against the men is “extremely strong”. It is alleged the accused men left the bar and engaged witnesses in conversation outside the venue, before making sexual advances towards the woman, who was not known to them.

Police have alleged in court that the complainant could be seen on CCTV footage being physically led towards the beach by Pritpal Singh, where both men then sexually assaulted her.

Witnesses to the alleged incident ran to the nearby Geraldton police station, and officers responded swiftly and took the men into custody.

The court has also previously been told both men are married with young children. Both Pritpal and Chamkaur Singh are on bail under strict conditions, including $100,000 sureties, significant personal undertakings, the surrender of their passports, no contact with each other or prosecution witnesses, and a ban on consuming alcohol or illicit drugs.