Teen convicted of committing sexual offences against younger sister
The boy, who will be 17 this year, was convicted of two charges — sexually abusing his sister and outraging her modesty.
SINGAPORE — After watching a television show with a sex scene, a 12-year-boy wanted to replicate what he had seen and chose to perform them on his 10-year-old sister.
Although his parents discovered his horrific actions, they did not lodge a police report. Instead, he was sent for counselling and was separated from his sister for a few months.
Three years later in 2016, he again preyed on his sister and molested her after watching pornography.
On Monday (June 4), the boy, who will be 17 this year, was convicted of two charges — sexually abusing his sister and outraging her modesty. Six other similar charges were taken into consideration. Both the boy and his sister cannot be named due to a court order.
In calling for a probation suitability report, District Judge May Mesenas said that she could not imagine what the victim had to undergo, adding: "The effects are permanent… I hope she can heal."
Acknowledging the distress that the situation would have caused their parents, she allowed the boy's 42-year-old mother to make a mitigating plea as he was unrepresented. Breaking down into sobs, the mother pleaded for leniency.
The court heard that sometime in 2013, the boy started to watch pornography after chancing upon it while surfing the Internet at home. Initially disgusted, he took a liking to it, and masturbated fortnightly after visiting such sites.
One day, aroused from watching a television show that had a bedroom scene, the boy called his sister to her room, told her to strip and had sex with her. Both of them were alone at home at the time.
He had threatened to report her mobile phone usage to their parents if she did not comply, and only stopped after the victim complained of pain and discomfort.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Raja Mohan said that he committed the offence against the victim because she was in close proximity to him, and "also because he was confident that she would not disclose what he did to her to others".
After the boy's parents discovered that he had been molesting his sister on several occasions, he was sent for counselling and had to live in his grandparents' home.
Following six months of counselling, he was assessed to be able to move back with his immediate family. House rules were put in place as a deterrent, court documents stated without giving details, and he was closely supervised by his parents.
Then in June 2016, he started watching pornography to cope with stress from his studies. On one occasion after a viewing, he told his sister — who was 13 at the time — to go to his room and proceeded to touch her private parts.
When the mother found out what he did, she informed the counsellor in August that year and his case was referred to the Ministry of Social and Family Development's Child Protective Service (CPS).
In April last year, the parents and a CPS officer accompanied the girl to file a police report.
When the district judge pointed out in court that he had committed serious offences, the teen responded meekly that he "didn't receive the appropriate treatment", leading him to commit the sexual offences against his sister in 2016.
He added that he had since apologised to his sister, and they met in church last month.
The court was told that he is now seeing a psychologist with the Ministry of Social and Family Development and a psychiatrist at the National University Hospital. He is staying at his grandmother's house, while his sister lives with their parents.
The teen, who is out on bail, will appear in court again on July 9 for sentencing.
