Man, 50, gets 18 years' jail for raping, molesting 10-year-old stepdaughter while her mother was in jail
SINGAPORE — A man entrusted with caring for his stepdaughter after her mother began serving a jail term raped the 10-year-old girl then repeatedly molested her over the next three years.
The man, now aged 50, pleaded guilty to one count of rape and one other sexual offence on Tuesday (June 26). Another three similar charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
The Singaporean was sentenced to 18 years' jail.
District Judge Jill Tan opted not to impose extra jail time in lieu of caning as she believed that doing so would have only a "marginal deterrent" effect given the already lengthy jail term she was imposing.
Offenders aged 50 and above cannot be caned under Singapore law but courts have the discretion to impose more jail time of up to 12 months in lieu of caning.
Both the victim and the offender cannot be named under a court order intended to protect the victim's identity.
WHAT HAPPENED
The court heard that the man married the girl's mother in 2015 before moving into a flat together in September 2017.
On Sept 21, 2017, the girl's mother had entrusted the care of her daughter to the man as she had been sentenced to 14 weeks' jail. Court documents did not state the reason for her imprisonment.
A few days after her mother started her jail term, the girl was awoken in the night by her stepfather who had touched her chest over her clothes.
She was sleeping on the sofa in the living room while he slept on the floor next to the sofa.
Her stepfather then pulled her down onto the floor before removing some of her clothing and engaged in a sexual act that lasted for about five minutes.
The stepdaughter did not consent to this and her stepfather had noticed her attempts to resist both physically and verbally, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Goh Qi Shuen said.
The man warned his stepdaughter not to tell anyone or else he would do more of the same.
On a subsequent night in September 2017, while the girl was asleep on the sofa, her stepfather pulled her down to the floor and removed some of her clothing.
He then tried to have non-consensual sexual intercourse with her.
The girl tried to push him away but was unable to do so.
After a few attempts, the man eventually raped the girl and did not wear a condom.
The girl felt pain and cried, and also recalled noticing some blood in her private parts when she went to the toilet to wash up, DPP Goh said.
The man went on to have similar non-consensual sexual intercourse with the girl "a few more times", court documents stated.
From 2017 to 2020, her stepfather would frequently sexually abuse her and the assaults continued even after the girl's mother was released from prison. They took place while the mother was sleeping.
THE DISCOVERY
The offences were disclosed on Oct 5, 2021, when the girl's mother called the police over a separate incident that involved the mother's boyfriend and the girl at that time.
By this time, she had divorced the offender.
Court documents did not elaborate on the nature of the incident involving the boyfriend.
It was then that the girl's mother found out about the sexual assaults committed by the offender on her daughter when she was younger.
The girl's mother confronted the man on the same day.
He initially denied the sexual assaults but later admitted to his wrongdoing.
He apologised for his actions and offered a monthly sum of S$500 to the girl, and asked that they do not report the matter to the police.
After the mother made a police report, the man was arrested in the early hours of Oct 6, 2021 and has been in remand since then.
WHAT THE JUDGE SAYS
In delivering her sentence, District Judge Tan told the offender that he was supposed to be protecting and taking care of the victim as her stepfather but had exploited his access to the girl instead.
The judge said that the offences amounted to a grave abuse of his position of trust in relation to a victim aged under 14.
After a lengthy legal debate over whether the man should receive more jail time in lieu of caning, the judge said that extra jail time would have "marginal deterrent value in light of the lengthy imprisonment term that would be imposed".
"It is not clear that the further imprisonment term would have the deterrent effect or the retributory value on you," she told the man.
For committing the rape and sexual act on the young girl, he could have been jailed for up to 20 years and caned with up to 12 strokes for each charge.
