S’porean man, 50, pleads guilty to sexually abusing girl, 9, he had history of sexual offences against children
A 50-year-old Singaporean man with a history of sexual offences against minors was found guilty of sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl on March 30.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the accused was between 39 to 40 years old during the time of the offence in 2015. He was friends with the girl’s mother and often visited their flat. The girl cannot be named due to a gag order protecting her identity.
The accused faced five charges, including sexual assault and outrage of modesty. He pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual assault by penetration of a person under 14 years of age.
Court documents show the victim’s mother introduced the accused to his daughter sometime in 2015. At that point in time, the victim lived with her mother and grandparents.
The door to the victim’s house was occasionally left unlocked, and the accused would let himself in. Other times, the girl’s grandparents opened the door for him.
The victim saw the accused as an elder brother, while her mother believed he treated the girl as his own daughter. The accused would often bring the victim for outings by himself, often to swim or for a meal.
Accused assaulted girl at staircase landing
Sometime in 2015, the accused entered the victim’s house at about 9pm with permission from her mother, who was at work. The girl’s grandparents were also in the flat.
The man told the girl that they would go see her mother, but instead brought her to a nearby block to “enjoy the cool breeze”.
The pair then proceeded to a staircase landing where the accused instructed her to sit down facing him. She followed his instructions and the man removed his pants and underwear.
He then put the victim’s hands and placed them on the back of her head before sexually abused her. At that moment, the girl did not understand what was happening, but complied.
After the incident, the man brought the victim to a nearby coffee shop for a meal, then took her home.
Incident exposed six years later
The incident was brought to light in 2021, when the girl — who had turned 16 — approached a Family Service Centre for a dispute with her mother’s then-boyfriend.
During her counselling session with a Child Protection Officer, the girl indicated in a form that she had been sexually abused. A police report was lodged in August 2021 after the officer spoke to the girl.
According to court documents, the accused is alleged to have sexually abused the girl on four more occasions in 2015, including one instance in the toilet cubicle at a swimming complex.
Accused had history of sexual abuse against minors
The accused was assessed to have paedophilic disorder by the Institute of Mental Health, which “substantially contributed” to his offence.
He was also found to likely have persistent depressive disorder, although it had no contributory link to his offences.
Prosecutors pointed to the accused’s history of sexual abuse against minors:
- In 2007, the accused was jailed 18 months and received six strokes of the cane for sexually abusing a five-year-old girl. He was also handed three years imprisonment for kidnapping from lawful guardianship
- Between 2013 and 2015, the accused committed four offences — two counts each of kidnapping and outrage of modesty — involving victims aged five to seven. He was sentenced to seven years of corrective training and 12 strokes of the cane.
Citing the accused’s high probability of recidivism, prosecutors sought for 12 1/2 to 13 1/2 years of corrective training in prison.
The defence, however, argued that the accused was last sentenced in 2017, after the five alleged incidents of sexual assault involving his friend’s daughter. They also pointed out that the accused had not re-offended since and had reintegrated into society and had been taking care of his ageing parents.
As such, the defence suggested an eight-year sentence for the accused instead of corrective training.
After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Kwek Mean Luck ordered for another evaluation of the accused and postponed sentencing.
Those found guilty of sexual assault involving a victim under 14 years old face up to 20 years’ jail and a fine or caning.
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