Advertisement

Low IQ man jailed, caned for attempted rape of young step-niece

image

The man was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment and given three strokes of the cane. (Yahoo file photo)

He was watching television when his then four-year-old step-niece started to play with him by climbing on top of him.

Instead of entertaining the girl with some innocent play, the then 18 year-old student became sexually aroused and attempted to rape the girl.

The now 22-year-old man pleaded guilty to one charge of attempted rape and was sentenced by Judicial Commissioner Hoo Sheau Peng to six years’ jail and given three strokes of the cane.

All parties cannot be named due to a gag order by the High Court.

Stayed with step-father after mother’s death

Court papers revealed that the accused’s late mother married his victim’s grandfather in 2011. After his mother passed away in December 2011, the accused and his brother were looked after by their step-father.

The three of them stayed together and some time in January 2012, the victim and her mother, who is the biological daughter of the accused’s step-father, moved into the flat.

Some time in January 2012, the accused was watching television in the living room while his step-niece was playing nearby. The victim’s mother was in the kitchen at the time.

While the girl was playing with the accused, he became aroused and started to tickle her on her neck. He then put her on a mattress in the living room and pulled down her shorts and panties, exposing her private parts.

Tried to penetrate victim’s private parts

The accused then positioned himself over the girl and after pulling his penis out of his shorts, he rubbed it against the girl’s private parts.

He tried to penetrate her but was unable to do so. He then ejaculated around the girl’s private parts before turning to the other side of the mattress.

The victim then pulled up her shorts and panties, and ran crying towards her mother. She told her mother that the uncle had “disturbed” her. But the girl’s mother dismissed it, thinking that the man was merely playing with her daughter.

A few days later, the girl complained to her mother that she was experiencing pain at her vaginal area, which caused discomfort whenever she urinated.

Her mother brought her to a polyclinic on 1 March 2012 where she was then referred to the National University Hospital (NUH). Medical examinations revealed that there was an annular cleft at the girl’s hymen.

A police report was made and the accused was arrested.

Accused had low IQ

In mitigation, the accused’s lawyer, Daniel Soo, said that his client had an IQ level of 61, which was in the mild mental retardation range but added that was not an excuse for the accused to carry out the act.

Soo said that his client did not have any sexual guidance since he hit puberty.

“He did not complete the (sexual) act. He could have easily completed the act but did not do so and had admitted to his act and pleaded guilty,” said Soo.

However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Kavita Uthrapathy urged the court to consider the victim’s young age and added that the girl was completely vulnerable.

The victim was unable to articulate what had happened to her, and four years after the incident, she was unable to remember much about it.

“The act itself caused significant pain to the victim and he (the accused) had betrayed the trust given to him (by his step-family) despite being treated as part of the family,” she said.