SINGAPORE, June 11 — A 30-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to two years and two months’ jail and three strokes of the cane yesterday for physically and sexually abusing his stepdaughter, who is now aged 13.
He had originally intended to claim trial to his four charges, but pleaded guilty yesterday to striking the girl with a foldable chair several times when she was seven years old.
He also admitted to another charge of molesting her six years later, while she was asleep in the same room as her younger step-sibling.
The other two charges, of ill-treating her by hitting her on the legs with a guitar, were taken into consideration for sentencing.
He cannot be named due to a court order to protect the girl’s identity.
The court heard that the man married the girl’s mother, now aged 36, in 2013.
The three of them and the girl’s older sister lived in the same house. Its location was redacted from court documents.
On September 10, 2014, the man got angry with the girl for refusing to wash some plates and clean the kitchen basin. He was 24 years old then.
Deputy Public Prosecutors (DPPs) James Chew and Ho Jiayun said that he then took a “walking stick cum foldable chair” and used it to hit her several times on the back of her head and her arms.
Court documents showed that the next day, he hit her on the legs twice with a guitar.
The girl endured the pain for another three days before she confided in her biological father over the phone about the abuse. He then made a police report.
When the girl was examined at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) later that day, she complained of pain at the side of her head and her arms. She also had several bruises on her arms.
Because of this incident, she and her sister went to live with their biological father.
In February 2018, the two girls went back to live with their stepfather and mother, as well as their two younger step-siblings.
Several months later on Oct 21 that year, the victim — then 12 years old — went to sleep in the master bedroom.
She was awoken in the middle of the night by her stepfather pulling her pants and underwear down. He then rubbed himself against her.
She pretended to be asleep as she was “very afraid” and did not know what to do, DPPs Chew and Ho said.
“After some time, the accused stopped. The victim continued to pretend to be asleep, and tried to go back to sleep hoping that morning would come quickly,” they added.
Four days later, while her stepfather was on reservist training, she decided to get help from her maternal aunt. She went directly to the older woman’s house after school and confided in her and her grandmother about the sexual acts.
Her aunt took her to a polyclinic the next day and they were referred to KKH. The hospital then alerted the police and the man was arrested.
For ill-treating a child under the Children and Young Persons Act, he could have been jailed up to four years, fined up to S$4,000 (RM12,275), or both.
For molesting a minor under 14, he could have been jailed up to five years, fined, caned, or any combination of the three. — TODAY
