We often place our trust in close friends and family, believing they will do us no harm.
And when these individuals tragically end up betraying this trust, there can be devastating consequences.
Recently, a man in Singapore received a jail term of 11 years for repeated sexual abuse of a minor. He reportedly assaulted her during weekly visits to his own daughter, who lived with the victim.
As a result, the girl suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which impedes her daily life.
On Monday (18 Jul), the High Court sentenced a 60-year-old man to 11 years’ jail for one count of sexual assault by penetration and another of outrage of modesty. Another five similar charges were taken into consideration at the time of sentencing.
The accused committed the crimes against a family friend’s daughter, now 17, when she was in Primary 4, The Straits Times (ST) reports.
There is a gag order in place to protect the identity of the victim.
According to ST, the incidents happened after the victim’s grandmother, whom she lived with, agreed to let the accused’s daughter move into their three-room flat in Jan 2015.
The accused would then visit his daughter between Jan 2015 and Mar 2016, typically on weekends.
It was during these visits that the assaults would occur. He would sit and chat with the victim, then nine or 10 years old, on the sofa in the living room, and sexually abused her when no one else was present.
In the last incident, the victim had been looking out of the kitchen window. The man then approached her, whispering into her ear and molesting her.
She managed to pull away from him and locked herself in her room. There, she started to cry and had panic attacks.
When she heard a knock on the door, she opened it thinking that it was her grandmother. Instead, she saw the accused, who hugged and kissed her.
After escaping a second time to the bathroom, the victim washed away the man’s saliva and shoved toilet paper into her mouth.
The girl only opened the door when she heard her grandmother’s voice. At this point, she became hysterical, screaming until her grandmother urged her to stay in her room and calm down.
The victim then said she wanted her assailant and his daughter out of the flat. In early 2016, the man’s daughter moved out.
ST reports that the man’s crimes were uncovered when the victim had a breakdown during a Secondary 1 sex education class discussing sexual abuse.
The girl later opened up to her form teacher and a school counsellor about her assault. The school then told her father and he filed a police report.
Since then, the victim has attended over 31 sessions at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital’s psychosocial trauma support service.
Source: SingHealth
Furthermore, she was diagnosed with PTSD and continues to display symptoms of it today.
The condition has a significant impact on her daily life as intrusive thoughts about the assault would affect her concentration and focus while studying.
For instance, hearing dirty jokes would make her break down in tears or trigger a panic attack.
Her school even had to make special arrangements for her to sit out of science classes on the topic of human reproduction. She had to take a modified science examination paper as well.
Seeking a jail term of 10 to 12 years, Deputy Public Prosecutor Jane Lim said,
The accused’s acts have left indelible scars on the victim’s psyche.
On the other hand, the defence asked for 11 years’ jail, pointing out that his client has third-stage colon cancer.
Cases of abuse are always difficult to hear about — but never as difficult as what the victims have been through.
The punishment for such crimes should be severe so that justice can be served, and so that those affected may get a sense of closure.
Hopefully, the sentencing of her assailant will help the victim to recover from her trauma, allowing her to live life as normally as possible.
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Featured image by MS News.
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