Step-grandfather jailed for molesting girl again, 6 months after release from prison
Barely six months after his release from prison for molesting his step-granddaughter, he again sexually assaulted the girl.
Asked by a judge why he did it, the man simply said that his wife was not able to satisfy him.
At the State Courts on Thursday (8 November), the 55-year-old step-grandfather was sentenced to two-and-a-half years’ jail having pleaded guilty to one charge of using criminal force to outrage the modesty of a minor.
The cleaner, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, was given an additional six weeks’ jail in lieu of caning. Male offenders above 50 cannot be caned.
Victim slept over at accused’s home
The court heard that at about 1pm on 27 October last year, a Friday, the victim, who was then 13 and in Secondary 1, went to the step-grandfather’s house.
She planned to sleep there over the weekend as she did not want to be alone at home while her father was working. The girl lived with her father, while her younger sister and elder brother lived with the step-grandfather.
Later that night, at about 9pm, the victim went to sleep on a mattress beside a wall in the living room. The step-grandfather slept near an adjoining wall nearest to the kitchen.
At about 3am, the step-grandfather moved close to the victim, stretched out his left hand, and used his index finger to molest the girl over her clothing.
“He did this for a while until he felt satisfied, then stopped and returned to his area to lie down,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Amanda Han.
The girl had felt what the older man was doing.
Victim’s father brought her to the police
“The victim woke up at about 8am on 28 October 2017, but was in a dilemma as to whether to inform anyone about the incident,” said the prosecutor.
At about 2pm, she told her grandmother about what happened. The grandmother told the girl to call her biological father and tell him about the matter. The father brought the girl to make a police report later that evening.
The offence was committed some six months after the step-grandfather was released from a two-and-a-half year jail term for molesting the same victim.
In court on Thursday, the man said he had nothing to say in his mitigation.
Asked by District Judge Kan Shuk Weng to explain why he committed the same offence on the same victim, he said, “Your Honour, my wife is not able to satisfy me, that is why this thing happened.”
The punishment for assault or use of criminal force to outrage the modesty of a person under the age of 14 is up to five years’ jail, a fine, caning, or any combined punishment.
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