A convicted rapist admitted to molesting his 12-year-old stepdaughter and her best friend in 2018, shortly after he was released from prison in 2016.
According to court documents seen by Mothership, he had previously been sentenced in 2001, for the statutory rape of his niece, to 24 years' imprisonment and 24 strokes of the cane.
He cannot be named due to a gag order.
With regard to his current case, the 58-year-old man pleaded guilty to three charges -- one count of aggravated sexual assault by penetration, and two counts of outraging the modesty of a person under 14 years of age.
In addition, 12 more similar charges have taken into account for sentencing.
Wife believed that he had changed
Court documents further highlighted that the accused's wife, whom he married on Jan. 4, 2017, was aware that he had been in prison for rape.
However, she also believed that he had changed.
Meanwhile, her daughter, who had been living with her biological father, moved into the Toa Payoh residence of the accused and her mother sometime in the same year, after they got married.
Both mother and daughter eventually came to trust the man in his capacity as a husband and stepfather, with the victim developing a good relationship with him.
As such, the man's wife did not impose any restrictions on leaving her own daughter with him.
Man began to molest his stepdaughter and her friend in early 2018
Subsequently, the accused started touching his stepdaughter inappropriately, beginning in Feb. 2018.
Initially, these acts consisted of resting his palm on her breast over her clothes, but eventually escalated to squeezing her breast and rubbing her vagina over her clothes.
The prosecution also noted that many of the incidents occurred under the nose of his stepdaughter's mother, when she was not looking or occupied with something else.
In one instance in Mar. 2018, he placed his hand around her shoulders and squeezed her breast.
Although she was shocked by his action, she continued watching the television and did not say anything.
In another instance in Dec. 2018, the man sexually assaulted his stepdaughter with his finger by slipping his hand into her underwear while she slept.
Also molested his stepdaughter's best friend
And at some point in early 2018, he also molested his stepdaughter's best friend of the same age when she came over to the family's residence.
In this case, he had carried it out by offering to take his stepdaughter's friend for a ride on an e-scooter.
He then brought her to Lorong 8 in Toa Payoh, whereupon he stopped the e-scooter and touched her breast and vagina.
This shocked her and she managed to wriggle free from his grip. Afterwards, she did not go over to her friend's house as she wanted to avoid the accused.
Offences discovered via decision to do virginity check at hospital
The accused's acts eventually emerged when his wife came under the impression that his stepdaughter was dating someone, and told the victim that she would bring her to the hospital for a check on her virginity.
This resulted in his stepdaughter confiding in their neighbour out of fear, who, in turn, told her mother about the matter.
The accused was then confronted by his wife about the issue, while his stepdaughter went back to live with her biological father.
A police report was lodged afterwards, when the victim's biological father discovered WhatsApp messages from his daughter to her friend, stating that her stepfather had touched her private parts.
As for his offences against his stepdaughter's best friend, these subsequently emerged during the course of police investigations.
Accused has demonstrated "sheer inability to control his sexual urges"
In their sentencing submissions to the court, the prosecution stated that it was "imperative" the accused be removed from society for a "substantial period of time" so as to protect the public.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Goh Yi Ling added,"His recalcitrance, high risk of reoffending, and sheer inability to control his sexual urges underscores the immediate need to take him out of circulation completely."
The man also cannot be caned as he is above 50 years of age.
As such, the prosecution is seeking the maximum term of 20 years’ Preventive Detention.
This is a severe sentence for recalcitrant offenders that does not offer the usual remission for good behaviour.
In the meantime, Justice Aedit Abdullah has asked for a Preventive Detention suitability report on the accused and adjourned the case to a later date.
Top photo via Tinnakorn jorruang/Shutterstock