62-year-old man jailed 3 years for repeatedly molesting girlfriend's daughter, 11
Over a period of four months, a 62-year-old man repeatedly molested his then girlfriend’s young daughter when they were home alone, even groping the girl while she was showering, a district court heard.
After each incident, he would give the girl – who was then 11 years old – between $5 and $80, telling her not to reveal his crimes.
When the girl told her mother about the matter, the latter did not believe her, instead telling the victim that the man would not do such things to her.
At the State Courts on Friday (9 November), the man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the girl, was jailed for three years, having pleaded guilty to one out of three charges of using criminal force to outrage the modesty of a minor.
He also received an additional 12 weeks’ jail in lieu of six strokes of the cane. Male offenders above 50 cannot be caned.
Man was father figure to victim
The court heard that the man got into a relationship with the girl’s mother and moved in with them around 2010 or 2011. Over time, the girl referred to the man as her father.
The girl would be alone in the flat with the man on most days after she got home from school. The man worked as a general worker on the permanent night shift, leaving for work at 8pm and returning after 10.45am, while the mother worked as a store helper from 9am to 10pm.
Between June and September 2014, the man repeatedly molested the girl when they were alone at home. He started by grabbing her hand and putting it over his groin, to placing her hand in his pants. As time passed, he also entered the toilet while she was showering, caressing her breasts and buttocks, and rubbing himself up against her.
“Though the victim was initially hesitant and struggled when the accused molested her, as time progressed she complied and gave in to him as she knew she would receive monetary rewards for doing so,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Sruthi Boppana.
On one occasion in June 2014, after drinking two cans of beer, the man entered the toilet when the girl was showering. She wanted to step out, but he did not let her.
He hugged the victim from behind, and began caressing her entire body. He also pressed himself against her. Later, he gave her $30 and told her not to tell anyone about what had happened.
Victim’s mother disbelieved her
After enduring the man’s lewd acts for a few months, the girl confided in a friend about the matter. Said DPP Sruthi, “With her friend’s encouragement, the victim attempted to disclose the incidents to her mother. However, the victim’s mother disbelieved her, thinking that she was being playful, and told the victim that the accused would not do such things to her.”
The man was eventually asked to leave the home in December 2015, as he often argued with the girl’s mother. He was also not contributing to the household finances.
In September 2017, the victim confided in her school counsellor about what the man had done, as she was reacting adversely towards her schoolmates. She would feel stressed and paranoid when male schoolmates touched her.
The girl made a police report in November last year, and the man was arrested a few hours later. He admitted to his crimes, saying he would usually drink alcohol after coming home from work, and get the urge to touch the victim.
Victim has flashbacks
In asking for a deterrent sentence, DPP Sruthi said the jail term “must be proportionate to the accused’s heinous abuse of his position of trust and authority, (and) the enduring nature of the sexual assaults that the accused perpetrated on the victim”.
The girl’s victim impact statement also stated that she has flashbacks of the incidents at times, but she has been able to cope and is trying to move on, the DPP said.
In mitigation, the man said he married an Indonesian woman last year and is the sole breadwinner with two children to support.
Asked by District Judge Kan Shuk Weng whether he had anything to say about what he did, the man said, “At that point of time I was intoxicated, I was drunk and I did not remember what I did. I can say that almost everyday I drink.”
When DPP Sruthi pointed out to the court that he was detailed in his recollection of the offences, the man replied, “I regretted all that I’ve done your Honour, I regretted my actions.”
In sentencing, the judge noted that the man was a father figure to the victim, and sought to downplay his crimes, saying that he was drunk and had no recollection of the offences.
The punishment for assault or use of criminal force to outrage the modesty of a person under 14 is up to five years’ jail, a fine, caning, or any combined punishment.
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