A man groomed, molested and repeatedly sexually assaulted his step-niece for three years since she was 13 years old.

Almost 14 years after he first touched his 13-year-old step-niece, the man, now 39, was sentenced to 18 years in prison and 24 strokes of the cane on Apr. 18, 2024.

The man's offences came to light after the victim, now 27, told her husband about the abuse when she broke down at home the night after spotting the man at a family gathering.

According to court documents seen by Mothership, they had lived together between 2010 and 2017.

Neither the man nor the victim can be named due to a gag order to protect the victim.

The man pleaded guilty to two charges of aggravated sexual assault by penetration and one charge of outrage of modesty. Eight other charges, including the sexual penetration of a minor, were taken into consideration for sentencing.

Preyed on his step-niece at least three times a week

The man started molesting the victim in 2010 when he would enter the victim's room at night while she and her younger sister were sleeping.

His actions quickly escalated over time — from touching her private parts to the eventual sexual assault.

He preyed on the victim at least three times a week.

The victim did not understand what the man's actions meant and struggled to think they had mutual feelings for one another.

After she turned 16, they continued to have "consensual sex"  for four years.

The victim broke off all contact with the man after she got married and moved out in 2018.

Filed a police report together with husband

At a family gathering in 2019, the victim returned home early with her husband as he saw she was in a low mood.

The victim broke down at home and told her husband about the sexual abuse.

They went to the police station together on the same night to make a police report.

The man was arrested a few days later at Woodlands Checkpoint while headed to Johor Bahru for a family trip.

Victim diagnosed with PTSD

The victim was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by a doctor at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) as a result of the acts that had been carried out on her.

Her PTSD symptoms began to manifest as early as after she moved out and included nightmares, disturbed sleep and instances where she would break down and cry for no reason.

In her Victim Impact Statement, the victim said she didn't know who she could trust during the years of abuse and could only "hide and pretend that these incidents were not real and did not happen".

Sentence must reflect society's abhorrence: Prosecution

The prosecutors pointed out that by targeting the victim, the man was "sentencing the victim to suffer in silence".

They said the sentence meted "must reflect society's abhorrence" of the man's conduct, and the victim must "receive redress" for the harm caused to her.

They urged the judge to consider the victim's plight, quoting part of her statement:

"Most of the time, I prefer to be by myself.

I was a girl full of dreams and adventure, but now, hiding in a locked room is my safe place.

Close friends who vaguely know about the case say that I am strong.

However, I don’t feel strong, and I was just able to conceal, screaming from the inside."

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)

Top photo by Sam Moghadam Khamseh via Unsplash