Man, 37, jailed for sexually assaulting girlfriend’s daughter, 8, who saw him as father figure
A girl who regarded her mother’s boyfriend as a father figure was sexually abused by him when she was between eight and 10 years old.
The 37-year-old man made the child engage in sexual acts with him on three occasions and was sentenced to one year and two weeks in jail.
He faced three charges under the Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA), reported Shin Min Daily News.
To protect the victim, the judge imposed a gag order barring the publication of the identities of the accused and victim, as well as the location where the offences took place.
Victim the daughter of man’s ex-girlfriend
The victim, now 15, was the daughter of the man’s girlfriend — whom he met in 2016 — at the time.
The victim’s mother was unmarried but had a son and daughter, and lived with both children. The accused subsequently moved in with the family.
Between 2019 and 2021, the girlfriend and her children lived with the man in a one-bedroom flat.
The man and his girlfriend usually slept in the bedroom, while both children slept on a sofa bed in the living room.
When the couple argued, however, the girlfriend would sleep in the bedroom with her son, while the man would sleep on the sofa bed with the victim.
Girl treated him like a father
The man developed a close relationship with the girl after moving in, caring for her, helping her to shower and dry her hair, as well as teaching her how to draw.
She would also tell him about things that happened at school and referred to him as her “father”.
On three occasions when the pair were sleeping on the sofa bed — and the man’s girlfriend and her son were not in the living room — the man made the girl touch and rub his genitals.
The prosecution argued that the man’s actions were a complete betrayal of the role he had assumed as a father figure.
He had exploited the young victim to satisfy his own sexual desires, leaving her traumatised, the prosecution said.
The prosecution also pointed out that the offences took place in the home, where such abuse of trust can be difficult to detect.
The man’s actions may not have come to light if not for the victim’s school intervening in time, the prosecution added.
In mitigation, the man’s lawyer said he had no previous convictions and had cooperated with police investigations, asking the court to impose a lighter sentence.
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