For many, family means unconditional love and support. Unfortunately, some people take advantage of this trust and exploit their loved ones for their own gratification.
This was what a Singaporean man, now 52, did to his niece. When she was six years old, he exposed her to pornography and sexually assaulted her.
On Monday (18 Apr), he was sentenced to 14 years’ jail for the offence and another charge of consuming methamphetamine.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the sexual assault occurred in 2010 when the victim was about six years old, and the accused was 40.
The man was watching pornography on the living room sofa and eventually got aroused. He then called his niece over and made her watch a video of two adults having sex.
Although she was too young to comprehend what she saw, she was disgusted.
He then told her to lie down with her head in his lap and sexually assaulted her under her clothes, causing her to feel extreme pain.
She was too afraid to ask for help or tell anyone about the incident that day.
The accused molested her again the next day while she was sleeping on the living room sofa. When he climbed behind her, she quickly got off the couch, but he followed her and pulled his pants down.
When his mobile phone made a sound, he quickly pulled his pants up and left.
A few weeks later, the victim told someone about the inappropriate behaviour, and the court heard that she eventually moved out of the flat.
CNA reported that the victim reported his offences when a counsellor interviewed her at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), where she was referred to for abdominal pains in Jul 2018.
Source: Google Maps
She informed the counsellor that she had flashbacks of the incident and felt afraid whenever she visited the flat where it happened. The victim also shared that she had suicidal and self-harm tendencies.
On 13 Jul 2018, the hospital reported the sexual assault to the police.This led to his arrest on 5 Mar 2019. Further investigations uncovered his methamphetamine consumption the day before.
He was liable for enhanced punishment because he was previously convicted in 2001 for consuming morphine.
For consuming methamphetamine, the prosecution and defence decided to sentence him to the mandatory minimum of seven years’ jail for each offence.
Both sentences were ordered to be carried out consecutively.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Jane Lim and Samyata Ravindran sought seven to eight years’ jail for the sexual assault, emphasising that her young age and their familial relationship made her especially vulnerable.
He took advantage of his position as a trusted family member residing in the victim’s home to gain easy access to her and exploited her to commit truly unthinkable and perverse acts.
However, defence lawyer Sadhana Rai argued for five to six years’ jail. She said the offences were not committed over an extended period but rather as two “singular” incidents.
In mitigation, she also pointed out that he did not re-offend after the second time.
For sexually penetrating a minor, he could have been sentenced to up to 20 years’ jail, caning, or a fine. However, the accused could not be caned as he was older than 50.
It is sad to think that someone could take advantage of a trusting family member who is young and vulnerable for their own sexual gratification.
Thankfully, the law has dealt with the man, and he will be put behind bars.
We hope that the victim will receive the necessary support to heal from the traumatic events.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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