Man jailed 29 years for sexually abusing daughter since she was 5
SINGAPORE — He began sexually abusing his biological daughter when she was only five to six years old.
The abuse continued for nearly a decade before the daughter, now 18, realised that her father’s actions were wrong.
The 51-year-old man was sentenced to a total of 29 years’ jail on Tuesday (14 May) after he pleaded guilty to three charges, including statutory rape and aggravated sexual penetration of his daughter.
Another six charges of a similar nature were taken into consideration for sentencing.
As the man is above 50 years old, he cannot be caned. His overall sentence includes a one year-jail term in lieu of caning.
The prosecution had sought a sentence of at least 30 years’ jail, and an additional year of jail in lieu of caning.
Neither the victim nor her father can be named in order to protect her identity.
Years of abuse
The man started sexually exploiting his daughter when she was between five to six years old by touching her private parts when he felt a sexual urge.
As part of his sexual fantasy, the man performed oral sex on his daughter from 2009, when she was nine years old.
In December 2011, during a Christmas sleepover at the man’s sister’s house, the man also touched her private parts and sexually penetrated her through her shorts while she was asleep. The girl was 11 years old at the time.
The two had unprotected sexual intercourse for the first time in 2012 at their flat, when the girl was 11. They engaged in sexual acts at least once every month, during which the man would also ask his daughter to perform oral sex on him.
Midway through 2015, the daughter, then in secondary school, begin to dislike what her father was doing to her but did not reject his advances.
She only realised what he did was wrong in 2016, but did not confide in her mother as she was worried it would tear her family apart.
The last occasion of sexual abuse was in January 2016.
On 29 May 2017, the daughter revealed her father’s sordid deeds to a close friend. The friend encouraged her to speak to her mother and the daughter did so on the same day.
The mother then made arrangements for her daughter to stay with her aunt. She brought her daughter to lodge a police report on 7 June 2017. The man was arrested the next day.
‘The highest level of perversion’
In seeking a sentence of at least 30 years, Deputy Public Prosecutor James Chew described the man’s conduct as “of the highest level of perversion and gravity”.
“As the father of the young victim, the accused was in a position of almost absolute authority and influence over the victim’s life... however, the accused flagrantly abused his parental relationship and authority, making use of the victim as a means to satiate his lustful desires and giving no regard for her bodily integrity and well-being.”
The man’s lawyer, Sherman Ho, who was appointed by the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, asked for 23 years’ jail for his client, citing his plea of guilt and remorse.
“He hopes he can come out and reconnect with his family. He understands that the family has disowned him,” said the defence lawyer.
The man has since turned to Christianity and has taken anger management courses in prison, added Ho.
Judicial Commissioner Audrey Lim pointed out that there was a “clear and flagrant position of abuse and breach of trust” in the case.
The judge noted that the victim was “especially vulnerable” and that the offending period was long.
“Having been exposed to such behaviour from a very young age from 5 to 6 years old, the victim did not realise what the accused was doing was wrong until much later in her secondary school years,” said the judge.
The judge noted that some mitigating weight should be given to the man’s guilty plea, as it saved his daughter “potential embarrassment” from testifying in court.
“While the accused pleaded guilty, the acts committed against his own daughter are clearly and totally reprehensible and deserve a severe punishment”, said the judge.
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