Man on trial for raping 14-year-old daughter
Prosecutors said they will call 19 witnesses to the stand for the trial. TODAY File Photo
SINGAPORE — A man appeared in court on Monday (Sept 4) charged with raping his daughter at least twice over a three-month period in their home, while her siblings were in another room.
The girl was 14 when she was allegedly preyed on by her father, then aged 31, between November 2014 and January 2015. She recalls two incidents vividly, but claims there were six other similar occasions.
The family cannot be named to protect the victim’s identity.
The father’s trial opened on Monday, with the prosecution charging that one of the two counts of rape he faces happened on Nov 19, 2014.
He allegedly barged into the locked common bathroom when his daughter was changing and forced himself on her.
At that time, the victim’s two younger siblings were at home and her mother was out at work.
He allegedly disregarded his daughter’s protests and warned her not to tell anyone what had happened.
The second count of rape against the man, who is now 34, relates to an incident which occurred around the night of Jan 9, 2015, or the early hours of the following day.
The prosecution alleges that the victim had entered the master bedroom to retrieve her mobile phone when she was grabbed from behind.
The man allegedly dragged her into her own bedroom, left momentarily to close the door to the master bedroom where his older children were, then returned to rape her.
The man was said to have pushed her onto the bed and covered her face with a blanket to commit the rape.
The victim confided in her then-boyfriend and his friend, who urged her to go to their school counsellor.
The matter was reported to the Ministry of Social and Family Development on Jan 13.
Prosecutors said they will call 19 witnesses to the stand for the trial.
The school counsellor and the two boys the victim confided in testified on Monday.
The prosecution added that tests by the Health Sciences Authority will show that the man’s bodily fluids was found on a pair of shorts worn by the victim before and after the alleged rape in January 2015.
They will also tender medical evidence based on a physical examination of the girl after the police were alerted to the case.
The prosecution also told the court that the man had given a statement to the police on April 2, 2015, in which he admitted having had sexual intercourse with the victim on one occasion.
The man disputes this, but prosecutors said they will show evidence to prove he had made the statement voluntarily.
If found guilty, the man could be jailed up to 20 years and be fined or caned.
The trial continues on Tuesday with the victim, now 17, expected to take the stand.
