Man with intellectual disability pleads guilty to attempted rape of step-niece
Photo illustration via Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE — A 22-year-old man, who has an IQ of 61, on Tuesday (June 7) pleaded guilty to trying to rape his step-niece when she was just four years old.
The man, who cannot be named because of a gag order imposed by the court, was also charged with attempting to rape his 13-year-old girlfriend just days earlier. This count will be taken into consideration for his sentencing.
The court was told that the man’s mother married the toddler’s grandfather in July 2011. Together with his brother, they moved into their stepfather’s two-room Housing and Development Board flat.
In December that year, the man’s mother died, but they continued living in the same flat, as the stepfather treated them like his own sons.
Around a month later, the toddler and her mother moved in with them. The court was told that the victim’s mother also treated the man as her brother.
The man would also play with the toddler at family gatherings, and she would call him “uncle”.
The attempted rape happened around one month after they started living together. That day, the man and the toddler were alone in the living room while her mother was with a friend in the kitchen.
As she wanted to play with the man, the girl climbed up and sat on top of him, which got him sexually aroused. He started to tickle the girl, then lay her down on a mattress where he stripped her and tried, unsuccessfully, to have sex with her.
The girl pulled up her underwear and shorts, and ran to her mother, crying that her uncle “kacau” (Malay for disturb) her.
Her mother did not think much of it as she assumed they were merely playing.
The court was also told that the victim did not scream, cry or make any other sound during the attempted rape, but the prosecution noted that the girl did not have the capacity to object to his actions.
Days after the incident, the girl complained to her mother about the pain she experienced at her private area. Initially, her mother assumed that the girl could have hurt herself while she was playing. It was only after her complaints persisted that the girl was taken for a medical examination on March 1 that year.
The case was referred to the National University Hospital, which went to the police.
The man, who was a second-year student at Delta Senior School but also working as a porter at that time, was arrested at home the following day.
He admitted his crime to investigators, saying he was feeling “horny” at that time.
A medical report from the Institute of Mental Health said the man has an IQ of 61 and suffers from a mild intellectual disability.
But at the time of the offence, he was “not of unsound mind” and knew his act was wrong.
The prosecution said that after the incident, the girl had difficulty sleeping and would wake up crying. She also disliked hearing the man’s name and described him as someone “bad” who had caused her pain.
The case has been adjourned for the man to be assessed on his risk of reoffending, as well as whether he has paedophilic tendencies.
The maximum sentence he faces is a jail term of up to 10 years and caning, or a fine.
