SINGAPORE — A district judge sentenced a middle-aged man with mild intellectual disability to 15 months’ jail on Thursday (March 17) for molesting a five-year-old girl, noting that this is the youngest victim the courts have seen for sexual offences.

The 45-year-old offender, who was working as a petrol pump attendant when he committed the crime, cannot be named to protect the identity of the minor.

Court documents stated that the man’s older sister, who is a housewife, worked as a babysitter for additional income. Sometime in early 2012, the victim’s mother hired her services to babysit her two children.

On June 2 last year, the babysitter left the two children in the care of her daughter. The offender was at home at that time.

At about 12.40pm, the man’s niece fell asleep while all of them were watching television in the living room.

Feeling the urge to touch the victim, the offender went into his room, asking the young girl to follow him.

He then sat her beside him, put his hand into her pants and touched her.

When the man’s niece woke up and did not see the young girl, she called out for her and the victim ran out of the man’s room.

After some probing from the niece, the victim revealed what had happened and the mothers of both children were informed.

The court was told that the victim had a marked change in her behaviour after the incident.

She used to be well-behaved but began throwing tantrums frequently and exhibited a high level of anxiety. The minor also started to binge-eat.

In mitigation, the defence lawyer said his client has low intellectual ability.

“The crime is serious (especially) when the victim is very young, but I urge this court to give this man a chance,” he added.

Noting the victim’s age and vulnerability, Assistant Public Prosecutor Koh Huimin urged the court to impose at least 12 months’ jail even after taking into account the offender’s intellectual disability.

She added that there has been a “form of abuse of trust and confidence” by him.

In sentencing, district judge Mathew Joseph said this is a “serious” case, noting the aggravating factor that “this must be the youngest victim that the court has ever seen (in terms of) sexual offences cases”.

The district judge noted that the minor is “now very traumatised” by the offender’s actions.

Having considered the prosecution and defence’s submissions, the district judge said he imposed a 15-month jail term to serve as deterrence against similar offences against “young children who are very vulnerable”.