Jail for man who molested 11-year-old stepdaughter
A man, clad only in his underwear, was resting in bed with his wife and his stepdaughter when he molested the 11-year-old girl without her mother’s knowledge.
He molested her again the following month, after which she started cutting her wrist multiple times to cope with the stress.
The 30-year-old man was sentenced to three years and nine months’ jail with seven strokes of the cane on Sept 24, after he pleaded guilty to two molestation charges.
A third molestation charge was considered during sentencing.
Due to a gag order, the offender cannot be named to protect the victim’s identity.
The man is still married to the victim’s mother, who is now pregnant with their child.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Clara Low told the court that the man was lying in bed with his wife and his stepdaughter in the evening on a day in January 2023 when he outraged the girl’s modesty by placing her hand on his groin.
“The victim (touched his private parts) reluctantly because she felt worried that if she did not comply, the accused would tell the victim’s mother bad things about the victim.”
In late February 2023, the man and the girl were alone in the service yard of their flat when he molested her again.
The victim felt uncomfortable and annoyed with her stepfather touching her inappropriately and wanted to run away from home.
“As a result of the offences, the victim also felt helpless and stressed. To relieve her stress, the victim cut her wrist multiple times,” said DPP Low.
The victim was in school on March 3, 2023 when a teacher spotted the cuts on her wrist.
Child protection services were alerted, and the victim was taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital for a medical examination.
The offender was arrested and was later released on bail.
A medical report dated July 17, 2023 stated that his stepdaughter had thin linear scars on her right wrist.
The prosecutor had urged the court to sentence the man to up to four years and two months’ jail with seven strokes of the cane, stressing that the case involved a serious abuse of trust.
She said: “The accused’s brazen exploitation of his position of responsibility and trust as the victim’s stepfather is a grave aggravating factor that must be taken into account in sentencing.
“There is a need for young children to be protected in their own homes and allowed to grow and develop in a safe environment.”
The man’s bail was set at $20,000 on Sept 24 and he is expected to begin serving his sentence on Oct 25.
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