SINGAPORE, Sept 9 — A 45-year-old man, who was sentenced to caning and more than 33 years’ jail time for repeatedly sexually abusing four of his young daughters, lost an appeal against the sentence today (September 9).
The Singaporean, who used to work as a freelance instructor for children’s adventure camps, had perpetrated what a High Court judge described as “one of the worst cases” of rape and sexual assault to come before the courts.
He cannot be named due to a court order to protect the identities of his victims.
Three judges in the Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal today after a mere 10 minutes. He was unrepresented by a lawyer this time.
Aside from raping or molesting four of his five daughters over a span of 14 years, he physically abused them, his younger son and his wife.
He also starved some of his children for almost a week during the September school holidays in 2018 as punishment for not doing household chores to his satisfaction.
He only spared the youngest daughter, who was aged 12 when her sisters finally reported him to the police in late 2018.
Investigators later found that upon discovering they had gone to the authorities, he had visited 10 websites including one that showed an article titled, 4 Simple Ways to Cheat a Polygraph Test (Lie Detector).
Court documents said he had also asked his wife to convince one of their daughters to lie to the police, in order to exculpate himself. In 2015, when the girl first reported him to the police, he had also persuaded his spouse to get the girl to lie and recant her report.
Today, he told the apex court through an interpreter that he wanted a less severe sentence than what was meted out in March — 33 years two months’ jail and the maximum 24 strokes of the cane.
“I wish to reiterate that I’m a first-time offender... It’s not that I’m asking to be released, I just want the court to reduce my sentence,” he said.
Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon responded that he could not see the offences as a one-off mistake because it was “sustained conduct that took place over a long period”.
The man then alleged that some evidence was not clear, such as why one of his victims refused to take a medical examination.
“It wouldn’t be fair for the court to impose such punishment on me if the evidence is not clear,” he added. He also brought up how sperm or DNA can be transferred to someone else’s clothes but “it doesn’t mean the actual sperm of DNA comes from me”.
The chief justice reiterated that there was no question of guilt in this case because he was only appealing against his sentence. The accused had pleaded guilty in the High Court to seven charges of aggravated rape, molestation and sexual assault by penetration.
Chief Justice Menon told the court that because his conviction stands, they would not hear arguments about whether the evidence was clear.
The man then proffered another reason for getting a lesser sentence — so that he could “make a mini pilgrimage or pilgrimage”, in reference to the Haj or Umrah pilgrimage that Muslims undertake.
“If I am released after I turn 65, I’m afraid I won’t be strong enough to do it,” he added.
Chief Justice Menon then dismissed the appeal on behalf of the apex court, saying they found no error in the High Court’s decision.
In March, High Court judge Tan Siong Thye had also considered whether to give the man a sentencing discount based on his plea of guilt.
Justice Tan ultimately ruled against doing so because he found that the man had pleaded guilty only for self-serving reasons, in hopes of a lenient sentence, and only after realising the “avalanche of evidence” against him. His trial was initially set for late last year.
Those convicted of statutory rape can be jailed up to 20 years and given at least 12 strokes of the cane for each count of the offence. ― TODAY
