A 34-year-old woman in Singapore has been charged after allegedly urging her daughter to withdraw an aggravated rape allegation involving her stepfather, whom the woman was married to at the time.
The woman is accused of pressuring her daughter to recant her statement so the family could reunite, allegedly telling the girl that doing so would allow them to become “one happy family again”.
All parties involved in the case cannot be identified due to a gag order imposed to protect the alleged victim.
According to The Straits Times, the daughter had accused her stepfather of aggravated rape, which led to police investigations.
On 23 June 2022, the mother is alleged to have instructed her daughter to tell police that her earlier statement implicating the man was untrue.
The following day, she purportedly conveyed further directions from the man to her daughter, urging her to abandon the case.
The woman is also accused of telling her daughter to approach prosecutors to say she wished to withdraw the complaint and claim that she had previously made a false report.
According to court documents, the mother allegedly tried to persuade her daughter by downplaying the consequences she might face.
In early 2023, she is said to have told the girl that making a false statement would result in a sentence of “only” two years at a girls’ home.
She allegedly contrasted this with the potential punishment her husband could face if convicted, claiming he might receive a prison sentence of 20 to 30 years.
The woman is further accused of telling her daughter that once she completed her time at the home, they could return to being “one happy family again”.
Court documents also state that the mother allegedly promised to give her daughter anything she wanted if she agreed to drop the case.
On Wednesday (4 Feb), the woman was charged with three counts of performing an act that could pervert the course of justice.
If convicted, she faces a potential jail term of up to seven years, a fine, or both for each charge.
A pre-trial conference has been scheduled for 11 March.
Also read: Man in S’pore raped daughter after being urged by girlfriend, gets 24 years’ jail
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