SINGAPORE — After discovering that her biological daughter from her first husband was being sexually abused by her second husband, a mother devised a “safety plan” for the girl to stay with relatives during his visits. It was only about five months later that a police report was made when the daughter confided in a teacher.

The second husband, now 55, was sentenced to 13 years and six months’ jail on Monday (Feb 19) after pleading guilty to two charges of sexually assaulting his stepdaughter and a charge of molesting the girl. The stepdaughter was 11 to 14 years old at the time of the abuse. The girl's mother is now 38.

Two other charges for similar sexual offences, four charges of filming a female victim while showering and one charge of possessing obscene films were taken into consideration for sentencing. 

SEXUAL PREDATOR AMONG THE FAMILY

The man knew the victim’s mother and her children in 2010. In 2011, after divorcing her first husband, the victim’s mother retained custody of her children, who were the victim and her two brothers.

The woman married the second husband in Thailand in May 2019 and had one child with him, who became the victim’s stepsister. 

Even before the marriage, the man was already preying on the victim since 2017, when he alternated between staying with the victim’s family and that of his first wife’s. 

The victim, her mother, her two brothers and stepsister lived in a one-bedroom public rental flat. 

On Dec 23, 2017, the man began to sexually abuse his stepdaughter at the flat's living room late at night or early in the morning, when she and the other family members were asleep. 

He would also seize opportunities to sexually abuse her when he woke his stepdaughter up for school, or when her brothers were not looking. 

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Tin Shu Min told the court that the man’s offences first began with molestation before escalating into sexual acts, which occurred so often that both the man and the victim “lost count” of how many times they occurred. 

The man estimated that he would sexually abuse his stepdaughter once or twice a week until the acts were discovered some four years later in April 2021. 

One occasion was when the victim’s mother visited Istanbul between Dec 23, 2017 and Jan 2, 2018, during which the children were in their stepfather’s care. 

The victim, then 11 years old, would sleep in between her younger brother and stepfather in the same bedroom. 

In the early morning during this period, she woke up to her stepfather molesting her while her younger brother was asleep.

She did not shout or resist at the time, out of shock and fear, as the man continued touching her for 10 to 15 minutes. 

Sometime between January and April 2019, when her mother took a trip to Johor Bahru, Malaysia, the victim slept in the bedroom of the flat with her then one-year-old stepsister.

Late in the night, the man entered the bedroom and saw the victim using her mobile phone. He undressed her, made her engage in a sexual act and told her not to tell anyone about it.

The girl, who was 12 at the time, escaped to the bathroom. She then slept on the living room sofa instead of returning to the bedroom, in fear that her stepfather might prey on her again. 

On another occasion in the early morning sometime between July and October 2020, the victim woke up to the man sexually assaulting her. Her mother was asleep in the bedroom while her two brothers slept beside her on the floor.

The girl, then 13, pretended to be asleep while this occurred and did not make any noise out of fear. 

MOTHER FINDS OUT 

DPP Tin told the court that the girl did not tell anyone about the abuse because she was afraid her mother and stepfather would fight if it was exposed.

She was also too embarrassed to tell her teachers and felt “disgusted and scared” throughout the incidents of sexual abuse, DPP Tin said. 

In April 2021, the girl’s mother found out that the girl was in a lesbian relationship and reprimanded her. As she broke down, the victim blurted out that she had been sexually abused by her stepfather. 

The mother was shocked and asked her daughter to repeat herself, before interrogating the man at length, asking him repeatedly why he would do such a thing. 

After the man confessed to his deeds, the mother cried out of anger and began to beat him. 

She then enacted a “safety plan” where the man was not allowed to visit the flat when her daughter was around. The girl would stay with relatives when her stepfather visited the flat. 

On Sept 16, 2021, the victim was approached by her teacher, who had noticed that she had changed significantly over the last few years, though court documents did not elaborate on how she had changed.

On being asked if she was facing problems at home, the girl broke down and confided in her teacher about the sexual abuse, after which she was referred to a child protection officer. A police report was made on the same day. 

In sentencing, Justice Aedit Abdullah said that the man had exploited the girl's helplessness even before marrying the girl's mother.

“You have made use of your position in the family to carry out these assaults. These assaults occurred in her home, which should have been a place of sanctuary and safety for her,” the judge told the stepfather. 

He added that it was clear that the stepfather had “exploited the opportunities open to (him)”, when the girl’s mother was overseas or asleep.

Anyone guilty of molesting a person under 14 years of age can be jailed for up to five years or be fined or caned. 

Those who commit sexual assault by penetration against anyone below 14 years of age in an exploitative relationship with the victim can be jailed for at least eight years and for up to 20 years with at least 12 strokes of the cane.

Being more than 50 years old now, the stepfather cannot be caned by law.