Man who raped and sexually assaulted daughter for 7 years gets 28 years' jail, cane

Selina Lum
The Straits Times
August 20, 2020

A 48-year-old man, who raped his biological daughter when she was around seven to eight years old and continued sexually abusing her for seven years, was sentenced to 28 years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane on Thursday (Aug 20).

In sentencing, High Court judge Dedar Singh Gill said the man had abused his position of authority over the young and vulnerable victim for his own perverse sexual gratification.

Noting the long period of abuse, the judge said: "This was an age where the victim should be enjoying a blissful and carefree life."

The man pleaded guilty to three charges of aggravated statutory rape committed against the victim, who is his elder daughter.

Another four charges - three for aggravated sexual assault by penetration and one for showing a pornographic video to a minor - were taken into consideration.

The man, who was between 38 to 45 years of age at the time of the offences, cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the identity of the victim, who is now 16 years old.

The court heard the self-employed man began sexually exploiting the victim when she was seven to eight years old, and did so until she was 14 years old, when her mother was not at home.

Sometimes, he performed lewd acts in the girl's presence and also showed her pornographic videos on his phone.

He first raped her between 2010 and 2011 in the master bedroom while his younger daughter was watching TV in the living room.

After having unprotected sex with her, the man told her not to tell anyone about the incident.

She did not know the nature of the sexual acts at the time, and it was only when she was about nine years old that she began to realise that the actions were wrong.

"However, the victim complied with the accused's sexual demands thereafter because the accused is her father and she loved him," Deputy Public Prosecutor Jane Lim told the court.

The girl also did not want to get her father into trouble or risk breaking up the family, said the DPP.

The offences came to light in December 2017 when the girl was interviewed by police officers for another case.