S'pore man, 44, repeatedly molested 9-year-old daughter while wife was overseas

His wife wrote a letter to the court pleading for leniency.

Jason Fan | December 16, 2019, 06:31 PM

A 44-year-old man repeatedly molested his then nine-year-old daughter, rubbing his groin on her.

This took place on at least three separate occasions, while his wife was overseas.

His wife, a 39-year-old Vietnamese who is the girl's biological mother, wrote a letter to the court to plead for leniency, claiming that he treats his daughter "quite well", according to CNA.

She also claimed that their daughter misses him, even though she has separated from him.

On Dec. 16, he was sentenced to 21 months' jail, and three strokes of the cane, after pleading guilty to one count of outraging the modesty of a minor under 14.

Rubbed his groin against her

According to court documents, the man fetched his daughter back home in May 2018, before going out to drink with his friends.

Upon returning to the unit, he proceeded to her room to retrieve some clothes, when he noticed her asleep with her legs slightly open.

The man then lied down on the bed, facing her back, and hugged her from behind.

He then lined his underwear with tissue paper, before rubbing his groin against his daughter till he ejaculated.

He then went to the toilet to wash up and shower.

The man performed similar acts to his daughter on at least two occasions between May and September 2018, while his wife was overseas.

Girl knew it was her father, but was too scared to report the incident

It was later revealed that the girl had been awoken by her father's actions on each occasion, and that she realised it was her father rubbing himself against her by peeking at him.

She kept quiet as she felt scared, and did not report the incident to her mother as she was afraid that it would cause her parents to quarrel.

In August 2018, the girl told her mother about what happened while they were walking home together.

The girl mentioned that some boys at her school joked about male and female private parts coming into contact with one another, and informed her mother that this was "something like daddy did to me".

She then told her mother about how her father had rubbed himself on her over clothes inside her room on several occasions.

The girl's mother was overseas on all the occasions.

In September 2018, the girl's mother sought help from AWARE regarding marriage issues.

It was then that she revealed that the girl had been molested by her father.

AWARE subsequently notified the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), who in turned reported the incidents to the police.

Degree of sexual exploitation was high

The prosecution asked for a sentence of at least 23 months' imprisonment and three strokes of the cane, taking into account several aggravating factors.

The high degree of sexual exploitation, because while the contact was through clothes, each incident was for a sustained period, rather than a fleeting moment.

The man's act was also deemed to be premeditated, as he lined his underwear with tissue paper before committing the offence.

The girl's father also abused his position of trust, as he committed these offences while his wife was overseas, which meant that he was the only adult remaining in the household.

The man's lawyer asked for a lenient sentence, claiming that the man's actions were due to a lapse in judgement, according to CNA.

"This is a scar that will remain with him for the rest of his life," he said.

He also claimed that the man, who is an administrative assistant and a part-time home tutor, suffered from heart disease and is on long-term medication.

Wife says husband is a good man, will "remain a good person till the end"

The man's wife wrote a letter in mitigation to the court, claiming that her husband is a kind and caring person who has learned his lesson, according to Yahoo News.

"All along he has been hardworking and took care of us when I had lost my job. He tries to fulfil whatever we want until he was declared a bankrupt. Even my daughter still misses him even though she has been separated from him," she said in the letter.

The girl is currently in Vietnam for her school holidays.

The woman added that they were "working very hard to make (their) marriage work and be responsible parents for our daughter".

"All I can say is that my husband is a good man and I believe he will remain a good person till the end," she wrote.

For outraging the modesty of a minor under 14, the man could have been jailed for up to five years, fined, caned, or a combination of the above.

Top image from Getty Images.