A 50-year-old man has today (22 Aug) jailed for 11 and a half years for sexually abusing his young stepdaughter and sister-in-law. The two victims were eight and nine years old at the time of the crime.
The accused pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated sexual assault and two counts of indecent assault of a minor, CNA reported. In addition, nine counts of sexual offences against children were taken into consideration when sentencing. To protect the identities of the victims, the judge ordered that the name of the accused not be released.
According to the report, the accused told the two victims that he touched them out of “love between family members”. The victim had been silent about the sexual assault and indecent assault that took place between 2014 and 2015 until it was revealed last year.
Waiting for the 8-year-old victim after class to start the sexual assault
The court heard that the accused and his stepdaughter lived in a unit in Bedok. The accused began sexually assaulting his 8-year-old stepdaughter in 2014 or 2015. As the stepdaughter’s mother was often away at work during the day, the accused, who was not working at the time, stayed home alone waiting for the victim to get out of class. While the victim was using his mobile phone, he started stroking his stepdaughter’s thighs and then her breasts.
During the actions, the victim felt sick and uncomfortable, but her stepfather assured her it was “family love” and told her not to tell anyone, court documents said. At one point, the accused also asked the victim to touch his private parts, which she did as instructed. In 2015, the defendant went even further – entering the victim’s room and touching various parts of her body, including her private parts, and kissing her. The whole process lasted for half an hour, while the victim remained silent.
The accused’s carnal acts continued almost daily until he and his wife decided to divorce, and the victim and mother moved out.
Claims to help 9-year-old victim practice meditation while touching her private parts
Another victim was the wife’s stepsister. The accused began targeting the victim, who was about nine years old, in 2014. Before the defendant divorced his wife, the 9-year-old victim would often visit the defendant’s home to play with the 8-year-old victim.
On several occasions when the wife was not at home, the accused would sit with the girls. The accused eventually began touching the waist and thighs of the 9-year-old victim, and in 2014, the 9-year-old victim entered the room to practice meditation while the accused, the 8-year-old victim and his wife sat outside in the living room.
The accused then went into the room, took the opportunity to tell the victim that he would help her practice, and then touched the victim’s private parts. The victim felt uncomfortable but did not struggle because she believed the accused’s actions would help her.
Exposing the defendant’s conduct
In 2018, the stepsister discovered that the accused’s behaviour was wrong during a sex education class, but she dared not tell her family. It wasn’t until February last year that the accused’s carnal acts were revealed when the victim quarrelled with her father.
The accused was diagnosed with paedophilia against girls under the age of 14, with a moderate risk of repeat offending. Since the defendant was over 50 and could not be caned, the sentence included six months in prison instead of caning.
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