Man who sexually abused daughter from when she was 6 jailed 18.5 years, fined
SINGAPORE — When she was six years old, her father sexually abused her by sticking his tongue into her mouth while she slept beside him.
As she grew older, the level of abuse became more aggravated, with the man also forcing her to perform oral sex on him while her two elder sisters were asleep.
The 52-year-old man on Monday (23 March) was jailed 18 years, and an additional six months in lieu of 15 strokes of the cane. He was also fined $700. He pleaded guilty to one count of sexually penetrating a minor under 14 and possessing seven films without a valid certificate, and 91 obscene films.
Also a recalcitrant drug abuser, the man admitted to one charge of consuming methamphetamine, the latest in a string of drug rehabilitation stints dating back to 1989.
While the man, who cannot be named to protect his daughter’s identity, only admitted to one charge involving the sexual assault of his daughter, he has eight other charges of sexually abusing the victim until she turned eight. These charges, including digitally penetrating her and rubbing his genitals on her, were taken into consideration for his sentencing.
The girl is now 10 years old.
The man sexually assaulted the girl from 2015 to 2017. Then, the man and his three daughters had shared a two-room rental flat.
The girls’ mother, who worked as a freelance prostitute, did not stay with them and was not present at the time of the sexual abuse. She was arrested for prostitution and repatriated to Indonesia in 2017, leaving her three daughters in the care of their father.
The father would prey on his youngest daughter at night when the two older ones slept. On one occasion when the girl was seven, her father carried her from the bedroom she shared with her two sisters to his bed in the living room. He then forced her to perform oral sex on him.
Though disgusted by the act, the girl kept mum about the incident as she feared no one would believe her, or that she would be shunned. She also feared that her father would beat her.
The incident only surfaced when the girl’s older sister told her about a classmate being sexually assaulted by her neighbour. The girl decided to confide in her sister about the sexual abuse and was advised to inform her teacher.
The girl did so and lodged a police report on 24 July 2018. The man was arrested on the same day.
Upon his arrest, he was found to have consumed methamphetamine. He had relapsed about three years ago and abused the drug about two to three times a month. As he had been admitted to a drug rehabilitation centre in 1993 and 1996, he faced an enhanced punishment for consuming drugs.
Apart from a history of substance abuse, the man was also sentenced to jail in 2004 for unlawful carnal connection with a minor under 16.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Eunice Lau pointed out the antecedent, noting that although the offence was dated, it also showed his “deviant sexual urges”.
The prosecution called for 18 years’ jail and an additional 6 months’ imprisonment in lieu of caning, as the man cannot be caned as he is over 50.
“Although the victim looked up to the accused as her only parent and primary caregiver, he grossly violated the trust she reposed in him and destroyed the sanctity of their home by abusing her within the confines of its four walls,” said DPP Lau.
“The accused’s biological daughter must suffer the trauma and degradation of his actions for the rest of her life.”
The man’s lawyer, Tan Jeh Yaw, sought 12-and-a-half years’ jail for his client, stating that the man was facing stress and financial difficulties as he was raising the family alone, and he “really did not know the hurt that he was causing to his family”.
Apart from the three girls, the man has a 20-year-old son. He was previously a cleaner at a condominium for three years earning between $1,300 and $1,500 monthly.
“He is a broken man who is struggling to overcome results of his actions...(please) exercise leniency so the he can still be there for his family in later years,” said the lawyer.
For sexually penetrating a minor under 14, the man faced a jail term of between eight and 20 years, with at least 12 strokes of the cane.
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