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Father who raped teen daughter twice in Punggol flat gets 26 years' jail, 24 strokes

The judge noted that the
The 35-year-old technician was convicted last month on two counts of rape. (PHOTO: Getty Images)

A father who raped his biological teenage daughter twice in their Punggol flat was sentenced to 26 years’ jail and 24 strokes of the cane on Wednesday (14 November).

“This is a very sad case of a daughter who was repeatedly raped by the one person in the world in whom she ought have been able to repose her trust,” said Justice Lee Seiu Kin in passing the sentence.

“He betrayed this trust to satisfy his carnal lust.”

The 35-year-old technician was convicted last month on two counts of rape.

No remorse shown, says judge

The judge noted that the “only redeeming feature” of the case was that no physical violence was used.

“However, against that is the fact that this is a father-daughter relationship and, in my view, betrayal of such a relationship is as aggravating as physical violence,” he added.

“He had raped his daughter in the sanctity of her bedroom and had effectively driven her out of her home.”

The father displayed no remorse at all and put his daughter, now 18, through the trauma of testifying in court in his presence, said the judge.

“All these events will affect her psychological make-up in the years ahead,” he added.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Winston Man on Wednesday called for a jail sentence of 28 years along with 24 strokes of the cane. The prosecutor said the man had abused the trust of his daughter, who was in a particularly vulnerable position.

“The (man’s) actions gave rise to dire repercussions for the victim’s life – she is now estranged from her family and forced to live apart from them,” said Man.

Accused ‘a responsible family man’: lawyer

The man’s lawyer A Revi Shanker sought a sentence of 15 years’ jail and 24 strokes of the cane for his client.

The lawyer described his client as being a “totally responsible family man” who took care of his mother in addition to his family. He urged the court to consider the man’s two young children, who still “have a long way to go”.

According to the counsel, the man’s wife – the victim’s mother – was still very supportive of him and was present in court that day.

He told the court that his client intends to appeal against his conviction and sentence. The man will be out on bail until his appeal case is heard next year.

Background to the case

Following a trial that stretched over 10 months, the man was convicted in October on two counts of raping his then 14-year-old daughter.

The first offence took place on 19 November 2014. While the daughter was changing in the flat’s common toilet, her father forced himself inside and raped her.

Less than two months later, on 9 January 2015, the daughter was heading into the master bedroom to retrieve her phone when her father grabbed her and carried her to the bedroom which she shared with her younger sister. He raped his daughter after covering her face with her blanket.

On both occasions, the victim’s younger sister and brother were at home.

The girl testified during the trial that there were also six other occasions that her father had allegedly raped her while she was sleeping. However, the father was not charged for these alleged offences.

For each rape charge, the father could have received a jail sentence of up to 20 years, along with a fine or caning.

Related stories:

Man convicted of raping teenage daughter multiple times

Trial begins for man who allegedly raped daughter 8 times at Punggol home