SINGAPORE, Sept 28 — In the course of a relationship with his neighbour, a man moved into her home where, for over a year, he sexually assaulted and raped her 13-year-old daughter, who was a former sexual abuse victim.

The 44-year-old man was sentenced to 10 years' jail and 10 strokes of the cane today after pleading guilty to raping a female under the age of 14.

Four other sexual abuse charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

Both the man and the girl cannot be named due to a court order to protect the victim's identity.

The court heard that this was not the first time that the girl was sexually assaulted — her stepfather was the abuser between 2017 and 2020.

The girl's biological father have not been in contact with her from around 2016 to 2017.

Girl told him about past abuse

The man first met the girl and her mother in early 2020 when they moved into their flat and became neighbours with him.

He then got into a romantic relationship with the girl's mother and moved in with them.

Sometime in June 2020, while they were in the master bedroom of the flat, the man engaged in a sexual act with the girl while her mother was asleep in the same room.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Yohanes Ng said that this led to a string of sexual activities thereafter when the girl was just 13 years old then.

The girl would tell the man about how she was sexually abused by her stepfather but that did not stop his advances and he continued to prey on her the same way.

The rape

On July 18 in 2020, the girl's mother took the man's sons out for an outing, leaving the girl alone in the flat with the man. It is unclear if the man was married at that point or how many children he has.

They were in the living room area watching a movie when the man initiated sexual contact with the girl by touching and kissing her, court documents stated.

Although she was reluctant to let him have his way, she responded because she thought that the man gave her a threatening look.

He then took her to the bedroom and raped her.

The sexual assaults continued until Oct 4, 2021, when the girl's mother discovered the man lying on top of her in an intimate position.

The mother made a police report the next day after he confessed to her about his sexual exploits.

The man was arrested on Oct 6, 2021.

'Abhorrent and despicable conduct'

In delivering his sentence of 10 years' jail and 10 strokes of the cane, District Judge Hairul Hakkim said that he had planned to impose a longer sentence because there was a heightened need for specific deterrence owing to the man's "abhorrent and despicable" conduct, but he was mindful of his limitation as a district judge.

He added that although the man was aware of the victim's past sexual abuse from her former stepfather, he persisted to take advantage of her vulnerability to satisfy his own sexual urges, exposing her to the risk of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases when he failed to use protection.

He had not only left the girl painfully and permanently scarred but also abused his position as her father figure when he ought to be protecting her from unwarranted advances, District Judge Hairul said.

For rape of a victim under 14, the man could have been jailed up to 20 years and fined or caned. — TODAY