Father on trial for sexually abusing 11-year-old daughter
A man allegedly sexually abused his daughter for about three years.
The girl was just 11 when her father, now 42, allegedly first targeted her in late 2011.
He faces 10 charges - five counts of outrage of modesty, four counts of sexual assault by penetration and one count of committing an indecent act with the child.
The man, who cannot be named to protect his daughter's identity, has pleaded not guilty. On the first day of his trial in the High Court yesterday, Deputy Public Prosecutors April Phang and Amanda Chong said in their opening address that the girl is his elder daughter.
The man and his then-wife have another daughter and a son. About 20 of his family members and friends were in the courtroom yesterday listening intently to proceedings.
The court heard that in late 2011, the man and the victim were in her younger brother's room when her father asked her to massage his leg.
He grabbed her hand and swiped it across his private parts. He also forced her to perform oral sex on him on two occasions in 2012. Between that year and 2014, he also sodomised her.
LOCKED THE DOOR
The man, who is represented by lawyer Richard Siaw, is also accused of molesting her between 2011 and 2014.
The prosecution said he committed most of the acts in the master bedroom.
They added: "The victim would usually go into the master bedroom to use the computer for school projects or when the accused asked her to go into the room to massage him.
"The accused would ensure that the door was closed and locked before performing the acts of sexual abuse on the victim."
The prosecution said that the last instance of abuse took place on April 15, 2014, when he molested her in the master bedroom.
The girl, who is now 15 years old, told her mother about her ordeal the next day.
The trial resumes today.
If convicted of sexual assault by penetration, he can be jailed for between eight and 20 years, and receive at least 12 strokes of the cane for each charge. If convicted of outrage of modesty, he can be jailed for up to five years and fined or caned for each charge.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now