Man gets 10 years’ jail, 12 strokes of the cane for sexually assaulting stepdaughter when she was 12
iStockSINGAPORE — A man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting his stepdaughter when she was 12 was sentenced to 10 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane on Thursday (Aug 3).
The 32-year-old man also had two charges of assault — slapping her cheek and pulling her hair — that were taken into consideration during sentencing.
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Both he and the victim, now 14, cannot be named due to a court order to protect her identity.The court heard that before the incident, the victim's mother had observed that the girl was able to confide in the stepfather when she faced problems.
At the time of the offence, the man lived in a flat together with his stepdaughter's family that included the girl’s mother, six of her siblings, her uncle and her grandparents.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Zhou Yang told the court that on April 26 last year, the girl joined her friends to play sepak takraw in the afternoon after school for about two hours before she headed home.
She met her stepfather at the lift lobby on the ground floor of the housing block where they lived.
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Angry that his stepdaughter had returned home late, he slapped her cheek and asked why she was late.He then pulled her hair as they both entered the lift.
Instead of heading to their flat, the man took her to the highest floor of the housing block that was secluded.
There, he asked about an Instagram chat that she had with a then 15-year-old boy who had asked her for sex.
He then asked her if her private part was "itchy" and if she wanted to have sex with others.
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DPP Zhou Yang told the court that the girl said no and was disgusted by her stepfather's questions.The stepfather persisted and told her to let him check her private parts. He tried to lift her skirt but the girl pushed it down.
After several repeated attempts on his part, he ended up putting his hand under her skirt and sexually assaulted her.
He then told her not to tell anyone in the family about what had happened.
Even though the girl was afraid to tell her family members, she told two of her classmates when she returned to school the next day.
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One of her classmates urged her to report the incident to their school counsellor, but the girl was reluctant, thinking that she would be separated from her family if she went to the police.Eventually, though, she came round to seeing the school counsellor and a police report was made that day with the assistance of the school vice-principal and officers from the Child Protective Service under the Ministry of Social and Family Development.
These officers investigate alleged child abuse and neglect cases, as well as develop safety plans and arrange support for those in need.
The stepfather was arrested the day after that the police report was made.
Later, arrangements were made for the girl to live away from her family. She has since been residing at Salvation Army GraceHaven, where children under the Child Protective Service can be temporarily cared for before an appropriate placement in a safe environment.
In delivering her sentence, District Judge Lee Lit Cheng said that a sentence of 10 years and 12 strokes is appropriate for a case like this when there is an abuse of trust by the accused who stood in a position of authority as the stepfather, and the vulnerability of the victim who was 12 years old at the time of the offence.
For sexually assaulting his stepdaughter, the man could have been jailed up to 20 years and caned up to 12 strokes.
