SINGAPORE - A man who had been jailed once before for molesting his young step-granddaughter outraged her modesty again just months after his release.

On Thursday (Nov 8), the cleaner, 55, who cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the girl's identity, was sentenced to 2½ years' jail after pleading guilty to a molestation charge. He will spend another six weeks behind bars in lieu of caning as he is over 50 years old.

The court heard that in 2014, the man was jailed for 2½ years for molesting the girl. He was released early last year.

On Oct 27 last year, the 13-year-old girl went to his flat in Lengkok Bahru in Bukit Merah at around 1pm. She planned to stay there for the weekend to be with her siblings.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Amanda Han said that the girl's younger sister and older brother lived with the cleaner while she and her father lived somewhere else.

The teenager did not want to be alone at home while her father was working, the DPP added.

That night, she slept on a mattress in the living room. At around 3am, the cleaner went up to her and touched her inappropriately.

DPP Han told District Judge Kan Shuk Weng: "He did this for a while until he felt satisfied, then stopped and returned to his area to lie down."

In the afternoon, the girl told her grandmother about what had happened. Later, she and her father went to the police to make a report.

As he stood in the dock on Thursday, the cleaner, who was unrepresented, pleaded for leniency. He told Judge Kan that he committed the offence as his wife was unable to "satisfy" him.

For molesting the girl, he could have been jailed for up to five years and fined. He cannot be caned as he is above 50 years old.