Man jailed for incest after having sex with his daughter
File photo of the State Courts in Singapore. (Photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
SINGAPORE: A 56-year-old man was on Monday (Jun 21) sentenced to four years and six months' jail for committing incest.
He had sex with his now 32-year-old daughter at her home on May 17, 2019, the court heard. The man and his daughter cannot be named due to a gag order issued by the court.
The court heard that after the man stayed at his daughter's home after he was released from prison on a remission order. He had been jailed for five years for drug offences.
A remission order means the man was released earlier than his scheduled release date. The order requires him not to commit an offence between May 14, 2019 and Jan 11 this year.
The court heard that the man was staying in the living room of the flat, while his daughter occupied a room. Three days after he started staying there, the man and his daughter had sex in her room.
He attempted to have sex with her again on Oct 20, 2019, but they eventually did not have sex, the court heard. The pair had been watching videos on the woman’s bed before the incident.
The offences came to light after his daughter was admitted to a hospital in November 2019. According to court documents, the woman confided in a medical social worker about her fear of staying at home with her father, and that they had sex. A police report was then lodged.
The man pleaded guilty to one count of incest and one count of attempted incest. He was also sentenced to an additional 592 days' imprisonment for breaching the remission order.
The court heard on Monday that the man was initially charged with rape more than a year ago, but no further details were provided as to why the charges were amended.
The man, who has a criminal history that includes criminal intimidation and drug offences, was unrepresented and pleaded for a lighter sentence. He has been remanded since November 2019 and appeared in court on Monday via video link.
In sentencing, District Judge Janet Wang said that the man and his daughter's relationship was not a factor.
“What is relevant is that both offences were committed within the home, which is meant to be a sanctuary for families,” she said.
She noted that the age difference between the two of them was more than 20 years, and that he reoffended three days after being released from prison.
Anyone convicted of incest can be jailed for up to five years.
