SINGAPORE: A man who sexually abused his biological sister and had sex with two other minors was sentenced to 16 years’ jail and 15 strokes of the cane on Monday (Mar 10).
The 27-year-old man, who cannot be named due to a gag order, pleaded guilty to one count of molest and four counts of sexual penetration of a minor below 16 years old.
Another 15 charges of a similar nature were taken into consideration for his sentencing. One of these charges involves the man aiding a co-accused person to rape one of the victims sometime in June 2020.
The co-accused was eventually sentenced to eight years’ jail and three strokes of the cane by the Court of Appeal.
During his hearing, which was held in the High Court, the court heard that sometime between Sep 6 and Dec 31, 2016, the man – who was 19 years old at the time – called his sister, then aged 11, into his room and closed the door.
At the time, the victim’s mother, niece and nephew were asleep in a separate room.
Feeling sexually aroused after consuming alcohol earlier, the man showed her a pornographic video and asked her if she would be willing to perform a sexual act on him.
When she refused, he grabbed her hand, placed it on his private parts and instructed her to stroke him.
As he had previously hit her when she did not comply with his instructions, the victim did not dare to say no or call for help, the court heard. The man proceeded to molest the victim.
The sexual abuse only came to light in Oct 2020 – four years after the incident - after she disclosed it to her form teacher and counsellor, resulting in a police report being filed on Oct 5, 2020. The court heard that she had confided in her elder sister and mother a month before, in September 2020.
The man also pleaded guilty to having sex with two other minors - a 14-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl - on separate occasions between Jul 2017 and Nov 2019.
He entered a relationship with the 14-year-old girl in June 2017, after chatting with her in a Whatsapp group. At the time, he was 19 years old.
A month later, when the pair met up at a staircase landing at a multi-storey carpark, he sexually penetrated her. The girl later disclosed the incident to her form teacher, who informed her mother, and a police report was made.
Following the police report lodged by the victim's mother, the police recorded a statement from the man in May 2018.
Despite this, he remained undeterred and continued offending.
In October 2019, he entered a relationship with another minor, a 13 year-old girl who got to know him through her friends. He was 22 years old at the time.
The court heard that between Nov 2019 and April 2020, he had sexual intercourse with the victim on multiple occasions.
On Apr 15, 2020, during a routine patrol, the police found him with the girl at the staircase landing of a multi-storey carpark. A check on his handphone revealed videos of the girl performing oral sex on him. He was placed under arrest subsequently.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Sheldon Lim and Kelly Ng sought a sentence of 15 years and 14 to 16 months’ imprisonment, and 17 or 18 strokes of the cane, given the overall period of his offences and the type of victims involved.
“The accused has demonstrated, repeatedly, that he has no qualms setting upon these victims who had placed their trust in him to protect them, and not use them as tools for his sexual gratification,” they said in their submission.
In sentencing, Justice Hoo Sheau Peng said the man is a serial offender, adding that it is necessary to impress upon him that his offending behaviour is grave and to deter him from reoffending after his release.
She added that a strong message must be sent to like-minded offenders that preying on vulnerable victims for their sexual gratification is conduct that will not be tolerated.
While the defence had argued in their mitigation plea that the man had a clean record, Justice Hoo said he should not be regarded as a first offender because he had already committed other sexual offences on prior occasions, including offences against his sister.
“This is a case where the law simply caught up with the accused a little too slowly,” she said.
The penalty for sexual penetration of a minor under 16 is up to 20 years’ jail and fine or caning if there is an element of exploitation involved, or up to 10 years’ jail and/or a fine.
If the minor is under 14, the maximum jail term is 20 years and the offender can also be fined or caned.
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The 27-year-old man, who cannot be named due to a gag order, pleaded guilty to one count of molest and four counts of sexual penetration of a minor below 16 years old.
Another 15 charges of a similar nature were taken into consideration for his sentencing. One of these charges involves the man aiding a co-accused person to rape one of the victims sometime in June 2020.
The co-accused was eventually sentenced to eight years’ jail and three strokes of the cane by the Court of Appeal.
During his hearing, which was held in the High Court, the court heard that sometime between Sep 6 and Dec 31, 2016, the man – who was 19 years old at the time – called his sister, then aged 11, into his room and closed the door.
At the time, the victim’s mother, niece and nephew were asleep in a separate room.
Feeling sexually aroused after consuming alcohol earlier, the man showed her a pornographic video and asked her if she would be willing to perform a sexual act on him.
When she refused, he grabbed her hand, placed it on his private parts and instructed her to stroke him.
As he had previously hit her when she did not comply with his instructions, the victim did not dare to say no or call for help, the court heard. The man proceeded to molest the victim.
The sexual abuse only came to light in Oct 2020 – four years after the incident - after she disclosed it to her form teacher and counsellor, resulting in a police report being filed on Oct 5, 2020. The court heard that she had confided in her elder sister and mother a month before, in September 2020.
The man also pleaded guilty to having sex with two other minors - a 14-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl - on separate occasions between Jul 2017 and Nov 2019.
He entered a relationship with the 14-year-old girl in June 2017, after chatting with her in a Whatsapp group. At the time, he was 19 years old.
A month later, when the pair met up at a staircase landing at a multi-storey carpark, he sexually penetrated her. The girl later disclosed the incident to her form teacher, who informed her mother, and a police report was made.
Following the police report lodged by the victim's mother, the police recorded a statement from the man in May 2018.
Despite this, he remained undeterred and continued offending.
In October 2019, he entered a relationship with another minor, a 13 year-old girl who got to know him through her friends. He was 22 years old at the time.
The court heard that between Nov 2019 and April 2020, he had sexual intercourse with the victim on multiple occasions.
On Apr 15, 2020, during a routine patrol, the police found him with the girl at the staircase landing of a multi-storey carpark. A check on his handphone revealed videos of the girl performing oral sex on him. He was placed under arrest subsequently.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Sheldon Lim and Kelly Ng sought a sentence of 15 years and 14 to 16 months’ imprisonment, and 17 or 18 strokes of the cane, given the overall period of his offences and the type of victims involved.
“The accused has demonstrated, repeatedly, that he has no qualms setting upon these victims who had placed their trust in him to protect them, and not use them as tools for his sexual gratification,” they said in their submission.
In sentencing, Justice Hoo Sheau Peng said the man is a serial offender, adding that it is necessary to impress upon him that his offending behaviour is grave and to deter him from reoffending after his release.
She added that a strong message must be sent to like-minded offenders that preying on vulnerable victims for their sexual gratification is conduct that will not be tolerated.
While the defence had argued in their mitigation plea that the man had a clean record, Justice Hoo said he should not be regarded as a first offender because he had already committed other sexual offences on prior occasions, including offences against his sister.
“This is a case where the law simply caught up with the accused a little too slowly,” she said.
The penalty for sexual penetration of a minor under 16 is up to 20 years’ jail and fine or caning if there is an element of exploitation involved, or up to 10 years’ jail and/or a fine.
If the minor is under 14, the maximum jail term is 20 years and the offender can also be fined or caned.
Continue reading...