Man who impregnated girlfriend's underage daughter gets 12 years' jail, 6 strokes of the cane
A 29-year-old man who had sex with his girlfriend's underage daughter from when she was 14, and got her pregnant, was on Monday (Nov 29) sentenced to 12 years' jail and six strokes of the cane.
This is believed to be the first case of underage sex involving an exploitative relationship after amendments to the penal code took effect last year that raised the penalties for such cases.
The girl, who regarded the man as "daddy", gave birth to a daughter last year, at age 15.
The man pleaded guilty to three counts of having sex with the minor in October. He cannot be named due to a court order protecting the identity of the girl, who is now 17.
The court heard that prior to this incident, the girl had been sexually abused by another family member when she was between 10 and 12 years old.
The man first met the victim's mother in 2015 and they moved in together in May 2016. The girl stayed with them later that year.
He eventually gained the victim's trust by taking on the role of a father figure that she lacked because her biological father was in jail.
The prosecutors said: "He would shower her with affection by spending relatively large sums of money to celebrate her birthday and taking her out for her favourite activities such as ice skating. He would also care for her when she fell ill and guide her when she needed assistance with her homework."
Over time, the girl and the unemployed man developed ties akin to a father and daughter.
The pair's relationship, however, turned sexual in late 2018.
They had unprotected sex regularly in their home when the girl's mother - the household's sole breadwinner - was out at work.
This continued for more than a year and the girl became pregnant.
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