51-year-old jailed for molesting 9-year-old stepdaughter

SINGAPORE - A 51-year-old man who molested his underage stepdaughter was jailed for 18 months on Friday.

He was charged with two counts of outraging the victim's modesty in 2011. She was nine years old at the time. Neither can be named to protect the victim.

The accused had married the victim's mother in 2009, and lived with her, the victim and the victim's teenage siblings in their flat.

As the accused had some medical problems in 2011, he stopped going to work and was often at home alone with the victim when she returned from school in the afternoons.

Sometime that year, the accused came into the victim's bedroom when she was watching television and locked the door behind him. He then told her to take off her shirt. When she refused, he first scolded her, then hit her with a cane.

He then forcefully removed her shirt and the rest of her clothing and molested her for about 10 minutes. He molested her on another occasion when the victim was alone at home with him.

The Ministry of Family and Social Services made a police report on the abuse in October 2013.

The accused, whom the Straits Times understands is hard of hearing and cannot see clearly, appeared in court in a wheelchair.

For assaulting or using criminal force on a person under 14 years of age in order to outrage their modesty, he could have been jailed for up to five years, fined, caned, or any combination of the above.

oliviaho@sph.com.sg

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.