Warning: This story contains descriptions of rape, self-harm and suicide. Audience discretion is advised.
A girl who saw her mother commit suicide and was sexually assaulted by her father was taken into the care of another man who then sexually assaulted her, The Straits Times and CNA reported.
The 39-year-old man, who is married with two sons and cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, sexually assaulted the girl on an almost daily basis from September 2020 to November 2020.
The accused, who was a manager at a firm for youth development, had first met the victim in September 2018, at a treatment centre designed to help teenage girls who have suffered abuse or trauma reintegrate back into society, where he was running a programme.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and nine strokes of the cane on Nov. 28, 2023.
Girl saw her mother commit suicide at the age of 13
According to CNA, the girl saw her mother stab herself to death in 2017, when she was 13 years old.
She suffered from adjustment disorder with depressed mood as a result, according to a diagnosis by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).
A few months after her mother died, her father sexually assaulted her in January 2018.
The girl overdosed on medication and was admitted into IMH from Jan. 11 to 19, 2018, ST reported.
She was subsequently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Removed from father's care in March 2018
In March 2018, she was removed from her father's care and placed by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) in the care of a family friend.
In June 2018, one of her close friends committed suicide and the girl engaged in self-harm by cutting her limbs repeatedly with a blade.
She was placed by MSF in the treatment centre to help traumatised and abused girls reintegrate back into society in September 2018, where she met the man.
Man's family assessed by MSF to be suitable caregivers
The accused eventually suggested adopting the girl, to which his wife agreed.
ST reported that MSF assessed the man's family to be suitable caregivers.
Both the man and his wife were also briefed on the girl's mental conditions and past trauma by the girl's psychologist, according to CNA.
The girl also told her psychologist that she was very happy and excited for her adoption as she never had a "real family" before.
She started staying at the accused's home from December 2019 onwards.
Man began sexually abusing her in September 2020
In September 2020, the accused began sexually abusing the girl almost daily until November 2020.
During the first incident, he asked the girl to remove her clothes and stand in front of a mirror before molesting her, according to ST.
CNA reported that the man would also molest the girl when she slept between him and his wife, and told her that "touch need not be sexual it could be for healing".
He would also sexually assault the girl, make her perform sex acts and occasionally record the sexual acts on his phone, throughout the adoption process.
At one point in November 2020, the girl asked the accused if she was still his daughter while they were in the car together.
The man replied that she was, which prompted the girl to ask why he did not treat her as such.
The court heard that she felt she was being used by the accused and that he was being unfair to his wife.
She also started harming herself again and felt that she was "trash and worthless", ST reported.
Man had intercourse with his wife when sexual assault occurred
CNA reported that the man was also having intercourse with his wife during the period he sexually assaulted the girl.
When his wife got pregnant, the girl had a panic attack when she found out that the pregnancy was ectopic.
An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilised egg implants itself outside the womb.
The accused's wife subsequently had a miscarriage which resulted in the girl blaming herself for it as she felt guilty over her sexual acts with the accused.
The girl eventually told a teacher about what she had experienced and the teacher filed a police report.
The adoption process did not go through.
First case to be prosecuted under Section 376AA of the Penal Code
The accused eventually pleaded guilty to four counts of exploitative sexual penetration of a minor who is 16 or 17 years old. Another nine charges were taken into consideration.
This is the first case to be prosecuted under Section 376AA of the Penal Code.
The prosecution was quoted by ST as saying that prior to 2020, minors between the ages of 16 and 18 were only protected from commercial sexual exploitation under Section 376B of the Penal Code.
The prosecution also called the accused's behaviour "depraved and exploitative" and said he had left the victim with "indelible mental scars", according to CNA.
They added:
"After a traumatic childhood, the victim, a 16-year-old girl, was supposed to have finally found a sanctuary in the accused's home," said the prosecutors.
However, it was not to be. The accused, a sexual predator, preyed on her vulnerability by sexually grooming her."
ST reported that the man's bail was set at S$80,000 on Nov. 28.
He is scheduled to surrender to the State Courts in January 2024 to begin serving his sentence.
If you need emotional support, you can contact the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) at:
24-hour Hotline (1-767)
24-hour CareText (WhatsApp 9151 1767)
CareMail (pat@sos.org.sg)
All information shared with SOS is confidential, and people can remain anonymous.
Other helplines:
Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
Institute of Mental Health: 6389-2222 (24 hours)
Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 (for primary school-aged children)
Top photo by Sam Moghadam Khamseh via Unsplash