Man admits to sexually assaulting 2 young nieces when they went to his home
Selina Lum
The Straits Times
April 23, 2026
Two pre-teen sisters were separately molested by their uncle at his home, and each later learnt what he had done to the other.
The man also sent inappropriate messages to the younger girl, such as “Just now driving kept thinking of you”, “I like your hair smell”, and “Think you be my gf better”.
The older sister was 10 to 11 years old when she was assaulted from 2018 to 2019, while the younger child was eight to nine years old when she was abused in 2018.
Their parents made a police report in 2021 on the advice of the older girl’s school, after a teacher observed that she had behavioural issues.
On April 23, the 51-year-old man, who has three daughters, pleaded guilty to three charges of outraging the modesty of a minor under the age of 14.
He cannot be named because of a gag order to protect the identities of the victims. Four other similar charges will be taken into consideration at sentencing. The case was adjourned to June 30.
The man’s wife and the victims’ mother are sisters.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Wong Shiau Yin told the High Court that their families were close, meeting regularly to celebrate special occasions and going on holidays together.
The two victims were close to two of their cousins and sometimes slept over at their place.
The man first assaulted the older sister between November and December 2018, after she went over to his home on her own to borrow her cousin’s laptop.
As she was lying on the bed in the master bedroom using the man’s mobile phone, he went on top of her and molested her. The victim did not understand what he was doing at the time.
On another day, she was on the bed when he kissed her and touched her inappropriately under her clothes.
DPP Wong said the victim felt scared and started tearing up during the incident.
The younger sister was first sexually assaulted between January and June 2018. She was alone in the master bedroom watching YouTube on a mobile phone when the man pushed her down onto the bed and kissed her.
In September 2018, he sent her various text messages via Facebook Messenger. The inappropriate messages came to the attention of the girl’s mother, who confronted the man’s wife.
In December 2019, during a sleepover at the man’s home, the older girl told her younger sister and two cousins about the acts that the man had carried out on her.
The younger sister then revealed that he had also kissed her.
Despite worries that the relationship between the two families would fall apart, the older girl decided to tell her parents, and her sister confirmed her account.
The girl’s parents were enraged and confronted the man, but he denied the allegations.
In 2021, when the older sister was in Secondary 1, her form teacher noticed that she had behavioural issues and spoke to her. When the girl disclosed that her uncle had touched her inappropriately, the teacher informed the school counsellor and the vice-principal.
School staff advised the girl’s parents on Aug 24, 2021, to lodge a police report. Her mother did so two days later.
During sessions with the school counsellor, the girl revealed that she had suicidal thoughts and nightmares following the abuse.
The counsellor observed that she had a few episodes of meltdown when she recalled the assaults or saw a male teacher who resembled her uncle.
The older girl was also treated at the National University Hospital from 2022 to 2024 after she tried to take her own life by drug overdose. She was diagnosed with mixed depression (and) anxiety, an eating disorder, and borderline personality disorder traits.
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