Man raped daughter 8 times in 2 months, mum and grandparents didn't believe victim

A 35-year-old man raped his biological daughter eight times over the period of two months when she was 14 years old.

The man had claimed trial to two charges of raping his daughter in the family flat in Punggol, reported The Straits Times.

He had forced his way into a locked common toilet while she was changing and raped her on Nov 19, 2014.

The last time he raped her was in her bedroom on Jan 9, 2015, while her mother was out playing mahjong and her two younger siblings were playing games in the master bedroom.

She was initially unwilling to go to the police for fear that it would break up her family after telling her then boyfriend and schoolmate about what her father had done.

However, her boyfriend made an appointment for her to see the school counsellor, who eventually reported the matter to the police.

The police then went to her family flat in Punggol that night itself, where they seized a pair of shorts the girl had worn.

A forensic analysis found the man's semen on the interior crotch area of the girl's shorts.

The girl's mother and paternal grandparents did not believe her and even blamed her for getting her father into trouble.

The man, as well as the girl's mother, had depicted her in court as a "rebellious" girl who fabricated the allegations to gain freedom from them.

This was disputed by Deputy Public Prosecutors Winston Man and Chee Ee Ling who argued that the girl had no reason to falsely implicate her father and disrupt her life so drastically.

Her reluctance to report the matter underscored this.

The girl, now 18, is living with another family.

Justice Lee Seiu Kin convicted the man of raping the girl on Monday (Oct 15) after he found the presence of the man's semen on his daughter's shorts to be "very persuasive" in proving his guilt.

Prosecutors added that the forensic evidence was "damning" as the accused could not explain how his semen ended up on her shorts.

Justice Lee ultimately found that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.

He was also persuaded by the girl's compelling testimony.

"Her version of events was given with a level of detail that can only come from a person telling the truth," he said.

The case was adjourned for sentencing arguments and bail for the accused was increased from $40,000 to $60,000.

Each charge of rape carries up to 20 years' jail, and caning or a fine.

Read the full story at The Straits Times.