After being molested by her father while in bed, a 14-year-old girl felt so "disturbed and embarrassed" that she dared not tell anyone about it.

It was only when her teacher referred her to a school counsellor that her ordeal came to light, and the 52-year-old father was arrested.

Yesterday, the man - who cannot be named due to a gag order to protect his daughter's identity - was jailed for 16 months after pleading guilty to one count of outraging his daughter's modesty. A second molestation charge was considered during sentencing.

The girl lived with her parents in a flat in north-east Singapore where she shared a queen-size bed with her father.

He first molested the teenager in January last year when he groped her chest. Two months later, he touched her private parts while she was half-asleep.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Seah Ee Wei told District Judge Ng Cheng Thiam: "Feeling afraid and uncomfortable, the victim turned to her side with her back facing the accused, hoping the accused would cease his actions."

Undeterred, the man rubbed himself against her.

The DPP said: "After some time, when the victim was unable to endure it any longer, the victim sat up with her back facing the accused and pretended she had just been woken up by some movements and did not know what had happened. The accused also pretended nothing had taken place. They both left the bed."

The court heard that the incident left the teenager "disturbed and embarrassed". However, she was afraid to confront her father and did not tell her mother about her ordeal, for fear of being disbelieved.

The teenager found it difficult to concentrate in school, and a teacher who noticed a change in her behaviour referred her to a counsellor.

An officer from the Ministry of Social and Family Development then took her to the police to file a report.

Defence lawyer Ashwin Ganapathy said in his mitigation plea that his client had difficulties controlling his sexual urges as he was addicted to pornography.

Anyone found guilty of molestation can be jailed for up to two years and fined or caned. The man cannot be caned as he is above 50.