30 years' jail for father who sexually abused his daughters

SINGAPORE - A 53-year-old warehouse supervisor who sexually abused his two daughters for years was sentenced to 30 years in jail on Friday (Nov 16).

The man, who cannot be identified to protect the identity of the victims, began to sexually violate the older girl, his stepdaughter, in 2007 when she was in Primary 4.

In 2014, he began targeting his 12-year-old biological daughter as well, and raped her when she was 14.

The sexual acts stopped in 2016 when the younger girl, after attending a sex education programme in school, told him she did not like what he was doing to her.

The offences came to light only in April last year when the stepdaughter, now 21, made a police report against him after an argument with her parents.

On Friday, he pleaded guilty to six charges of sexual offences against his daughters.

Two charges of molestation and one charge of aggravated sexual assault by penetration relate to the older girl, while two charges of molestation and a charge of rape relate to the younger girl.

Another 11 charges were taken into consideration.

He cannot be caned as he is more than 50 years old.

The court heard that the girls' mother married the accused in 2001, after her first husband died in a traffic accident and their daughter was then aged two. The younger girl was born in 2002.

One day in 2007, when the older girl was nine or 10 years old, he told her to sit on his lap when she returned home after school. He showed her a pornographic video and groped her as she watched it.

A few months later, he caught her using the computer without permission. He told her that if she did not want him to inform her mother about it, she was to do as he said and proceeded to molest her.

The abuse went on for the next two years.

After a sex education class when she was in Primary 6, the girl realised the acts were wrong and tried to resist her stepfather by crossing her legs or kicking him.

Despite her resistance, the man continued to violate her when she was in secondary school.

In 2014, he started molesting the younger girl, carrying out progressively invasive acts on her.

The abuse escalated to rape in late 2016, when he forced himself on her in her bedroom while his wife was showering in the other room.

After the abuse came to light, a psychiatric assessment of the younger girl stated that she was "disgusted, disappointed and angry" with her father.

She did not reveal the abuse earlier as she feared her family would break up.

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