In Singapore, jail, caning for stepdad who molested 11-year-old stepdaughter, once while wife was sleeping next to him

SINGAPORE, Sept 26 — While his wife slept next to him, a man sexually abused his 11-year-old stepdaughter. On two other occasions, he molested her in their home.

The 30-year-old man was sentenced on Tuesday to three years and nine months’ jail, and seven strokes of the cane, after pleading guilty to two charges of outrage of modesty of a person below 14 years of age.

A similar charge was taken into consideration during sentencing.

Due to a court order protecting their identities, both the stepdaughter, who is now 13 years old, and the man cannot be named.

The man, who is still married to the victim’s mother, will begin his sentence on October 25.

He requested a deferment because he is preparing for his parents-in-law to move into his home so that they may care for his wife who is expected to give birth to their child in December. Court documents did not state when the man married the girl’s mother.

What happened

Sometime in January 2023, the man was lying on the bed with his wife and stepdaughter.

While his wife slept, the man, who was wearing only briefs, took his stepdaughter’s hand and placed it over his crotch.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Clara Low said: “The victim felt disgusted by this act and after about one minute, she removed her hand from the accused’s grasp over his briefs.”

However, the man took the girl’s hand again and made her touch him.

She did so reluctantly because she felt worried that if she did not comply, her stepfather would tell her mother “bad things” about her, DPP Low added.

This continued for about five minutes until the man removed her hand.

Court documents did not specify if the wife was sleeping next to her husband or the girl.

The following month, the man and his stepdaughter were alone in their flat when he looked at his groin and asked her if she could “help (him) with this”, DPP Low said.

Although the girl explicitly declined, he forced her to touch him for about five to seven minutes.

“The victim felt that she had no choice but to obey the accused because he had told her that if she did not perform this act, he would not talk to her,” DPP Low added.

The man also molested the girl during the act.

“The victim felt uncomfortable and annoyed with the accused touching her inappropriately and wanted to run away from home,” DPP Low said.

There were no details provided in court documents on the third incident.

DPP Low added that as a result of the abuse, the victim felt helpless and stressed and resorted to cutting her wrist multiple times to cope with the trauma.

The incidents came to light after a teacher noticed cuts on the victim’s wrist in March last year. A call was made to the Child Protective Services under the Ministry of Social and Family Development, which attends to the safety and well-being of young persons who have been victims of abuse.

The girl was taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and a police report was filed.

‘Abuse of trust’

Describing the man as a recalcitrant, DPP Low sought a sentence of three years and 10 months’ jail to four years and two months’ jail as well as seven strokes of the cane.

“The accused’s brazen exploitation of his position of responsibility and trust as the victim’s stepfather is a grave aggravating factor that must be taken into account in sentencing,” she said.

“There is a need for young children to be protected in their own homes and allowed to grow and develop in a safe environment.”

DPP Low also said that the harm caused to the girl was severe, since she had engaged in self-harm to relieve the stress of being touched inappropriately by her stepfather.

In his mitigation, the man’s lawyer asked for a lighter sentence, describing the stepfather’s actions as “a momentous act of foolishness and lack of self-control”.

The lawyer said that the man is “consumed by remorse and regret”.

“He is fully aware the road of forgiveness is long... and is not certain that the victim will fully accept and forgive him, or accept him as a fatherly figure. That is his cost to (bear),” the lawyer added.

During sentencing, District Judge Paul Chan noted that there was a high degree of exploitation and that the man persisted in violating the girl despite her protests.

He also agreed with the prosecution that the man’s actions caused the girl psychological harm and that there was a serious abuse of trust since he was the girl’s stepfather.

Anyone found guilty of molesting a person below 14 years of age can be jailed up to five years, fined, caned or face any combination of the three punishments. — TODAY

*If you suspect child abuse, call the following hotlines for free and confidential support: Talian Kasih at 15999 or WhatsApp 019-2615999 (24/7); Talian BuddyBear at 1800-18-2327(BEAR) (noon-midnight daily); and One Crisis Centre (24/7) Wilayah Persekutuan at 03-26155555 (Kuala Lumpur General Hospital), 03-61454333 (Sungai Buloh Hospital) or 03-83124200 (Putrajaya Hospital).