Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

A man in Singapore, 52, was sentenced to jail on Apr. 18 for sexually assaulting his then six-year-old niece in 2010 in the living room of the flat they shared, reported CNA.

The man pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual penetration of a minor and another charge of consuming methamphetamine.

He was sentenced to seven years' jail for each offence, which will be served consecutively.

The accused cannot be caned as he is above 50 years old.

Was watching porn in living room

The man, who was between 40 to 41 then, had been watching porn on a sofa in the living room when he became aroused, according to CNA.

The man had lived in the same flat as his niece since 2008, along with the girl's brother, mother and grandmother.

He then called to his niece, and showed her a pornographic video.

The girl reportedly felt "disgusted" by the video, but did not understand the sexual nature of what she was seeing.

The man then told the girl to lie down on the sofa with her head in his lap. She complied as he was her uncle, court documents read, reported CNA.

The man then sexually assaulted the girl under her clothes without her consent. This caused her extreme pain.

The girl quickly sat up from the sofa after what happened, but did not dare to shout or call for help.

She did not tell anyone what had happened that day.

Molested her again the next day

The next day, the man came up to the girl when she was asleep on the sofa in the living room at night.

Realising it was her uncle who had come up behind her, the girl quickly turned away.

The man, however, pulled her to face him and then molested her.

The girl tried to escape but the man climbed off the sofa and followed her.

He pulled down his pants, but his phone made a sound at that moment, which led him to pull his pants back up and walk away.

A few weeks later, the girl told an unidentified person that she had been touched inappropriately.

CNA reported that the girl later moved out of the flat at an unspecified time.

Offences came to light after confiding in hospital counsellor

The man's offences only came to light after the girl went to KK Women's and Children's Hospital for abdominal pains in July 2018.

She was asked to fill up a form, where she disclosed that she had suicidal thoughts and had previously tried to self-harm.

She was then interviewed by a hospital counsellor.

The girl told the counsellor her uncle had sexually assaulted her.

She also shared that she would have flashbacks of the assault and feel scared whenever she returned to the flat where the assault occurred.

The hospital then lodged a report with the police on Jul. 13, 2018.

The man was arrested on Mar. 5, 2019. Further investigations found he had consumed methamphetamine the day before he was arrested.

The man was previously convicted for consuming morphine in 2001, and faced an enhanced punishment this time, reported CNA.

Girl suffered "immeasurable harm"

Prosecutors sought between seven to eight years' jail for the sexual assault offence.

The judge noted there was a clear breach of trust, and that the victim, at her young age, was unable to give consent to the act.

The judge said the girl had also plainly not agreed to being violated by her uncle.

Prosecutors said the victim was young, vulnerable and did not consent to his acts.

They added that the girl had suffered "immeasurable harm" at the hands of her uncle, and said she will carry the memories of the assault for the rest of her life, reported CNA.

Follow and listen to our podcast here

Top photo via Unsplash