SINGAPORE – A teenage boy, who was only 14 years old when he molested his 10-year-old half-sister multiple times, was given a conditional warning by the police in 2020 when the offences came to light.

Despite this, he continued targeting the girl in 2021 after their mother allowed him to return to their home even though he was told not do so without Child Protection Services’ permission.

The offender, now 17, who cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the victim’s identity, pleaded guilty on Monday to three charges involving the victim, including one count of sexual penetration.

Five molestation charges will be considered during sentencing.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Benedict Teong said that the offender and the victim share the same mother, but have different fathers.

At the time of the offences, the youngsters lived in a one-bedroom Housing Board flat with several other family members, including their mother and two of their siblings.

The woman slept in the bedroom while her four children slept on mattresses in the living room.

On five occasions between November 2019 and January 2020, the offender got up in the middle of the night and molested the victim, who pretended to be sleeping.

She finally made a police report on Jan 30, 2020, but court documents did not disclose what spurred her to do so.

Soon after, the offender was made to move out of his home to live with his aunt to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. This move was part of a family safety plan dated Nov 18, 2020, which Child Protection Services prepared.

The DPP said that contact between the teen and his sisters also had to be supervised by a professional at all times.

On Nov 25, 2020, the police administered a 12-month conditional warning to the teen for the five counts of molestation.

He was also told that he might be prosecuted for these five counts of molestation if he were to re-offend within the 12-month period.

Without Child Protection Services’ knowledge, the offender returned to the flat from June 2021, on weekends.

The DPP told the court: “The victim and her younger sister were also told by their mother not to inform the child protection officer or school counsellor about the accused staying over.

“He would sleep in the living room with his... brother. The victim and the younger sister would sleep in the bedroom with their parents.”

The offender was in the flat in June 2021 when he asked the victim to have sex with him.

The victim initially refused but eventually gave in after he pestered her. He then performed an obscene act on the girl.

He struck again on Aug 22, 2021, when he crept into his mother’s bedroom while everyone else was asleep and approached the victim.

While their mother was asleep on a bed, the offender molested the victim, who was on a mattress, and sexually penetrated her.

The girl later relayed her ordeal to a classmate, who informed their school counsellor about it. The police were alerted soon after.

On Monday, the court called for a report to assess the offender’s suitability for reformative training.

Offenders given such a sentence will be detained in a centre where they must live according to a strict regimen that can include foot drills and counselling.

The teen is expected to be sentenced in December.