A 38-year-old was sentenced to 13 years' jail and 16 strokes of the cane on Jan. 29, 2024, after he repeatedly attempted to rape his then-four-year-old daughter.

According to CNA, the man pleaded guilty in November 2022 to two counts of attempted statutory rape.

Another three charges of molesting his daughter when she was four to five years old and taking photos of her private parts when she was 11 were taken into consideration.

His daughter is now 15 years old.

Only realised it was wrong after sex education in school

The man, who cannot be named due to a gag order protecting the victim's identity, attempted to rape her in 2013 when she was in kindergarten.

He continued trying until she was in early primary school, CNA reported.

The girl only realised what her father did was wrong after attending a sex education talk in school at Primary 5.

When she found out, she feared her friends would avoid her.

She was also afraid that if her father went to prison, her mother would have to take up "family responsibilities".

Her father also told her not to tell anyone what happened.

Turned to self-harm

In January 2022, the girl's teacher noticed cuts on her forearm, which brought the case to light.

CNA stated that from the sessions with a psychiatrist, the girl blamed herself for what her father did to her and her mood and daily functioning were affected.

The girl also blamed herself for causing her siblings to lose a father figure.

She said she felt "very overwhelmed" and "very alone", and she cut herself as she thought she "deserved the pain".

A psychiatric report of the father found that he had a paedophilic disorder at the time but was of sound mind, said CNA.

HELPLINES

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

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)

SHECARES@SCWO: Call: 8001 01 4616 | WhatsApp: 6571 4400 (for targets of online harms)

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