A 41-year-old man has been jailed for attempting to rape his girlfriend's preteen daughter 14 years ago in a kitchen toilet.

In the wee hours of the morning when the rest of the family was asleep, he instructed her to follow him to the toilet where he sexually assaulted her.

The man, now 41, was sentenced to six years and seven months’ jail and eight strokes of the cane on Wednesday (May 29).

He cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, who is now 26.

Tried to rape her in kitchen toilet

The court heard that the man was in a relationship with the victim’s mother since 2004, and was a father figure to the victim.

In 2004, he also moved in and lived with them as a family.

Sometime in between 2010 and 2011, the family was staying with the man's parents in a unit at Teck Whye, and slept together in the living room.

One morning, the man woke the victim up at around 2am to 3am.

While the rest of the family was asleep in the living room, he gestured for her to follow him to the common toilet so he could take advantage of her.

He did so as "he knew that the victim was quiet and would follow his instructions", court documents indicated.

The victim was between 11 and 12 years old at the time.

In the toilet, the man molested and undressed her.

He also tried to rape her, but was unsuccessful in doing so.

So he guided the preteen girl to masturbate him instead.

These actions were done without the victim's consent, and also caused her pain.

Molested her in shared bedroom

The man also outraged the victim's modesty when she was 14 years old.

This was in September 2013, after the family had moved to a rental bedroom in Geylang.

While inside the family's shared bedroom, he touched her intimately under her clothes.

Most of the victim's step-siblings were watching television in the room at the time.

The man officially became the victim's stepfather in 2015, when he and her mother registered their marriage.

The pair have four children together, born between 2005 and 2013.

Confided in mother about sexual assault

In April 2014, the man was sentenced to a jail term of 18 months and one week for a different offence.

While he was serving the sentence, the victim realised that the sexual acts he had done to her were wrong and confided in her mother about them.

At some point, she also ran away from home.

When her mother questioned her, she said she was scared to return home as the man would be released from prison soon.

Subsequently, the victim's mother arranged for her to stay with a foster family for own safety.

She has lived with them since.

The victim's mother eventually lodged a report in May 2023, on the advice of a social worker.

The man was arrested on May 18, 2023 and has been in remand since.

Abused position of trust for sexual gratification: Prosecution

The prosecution asked for a deterrent sentence of up to seven years' jail and nine strokes of the cane for the accused.

The prosecutor noted that he had "played the role of a father to the victim" and said his actions were "a gross abuse of the position of trust, authority and influence that he had over [her]."

"Instead of protecting the victim, he took advantage of the trust that had been placed in him, as well as the ready access to the victim and used the victim for his own sexual gratification," the prosecutor said.

In mitigation, the man's defence lawyer told the court that the victim has forgiven him and his early plea of guilt should be taken into account, The Straits Times reported.

The judge agreed with the prosecution that the primary sentencing consideration for the case is deterrence and retribution.

“I am of the view that his sentence is proportionate to his criminality and will send a strong signal that our society will not tolerate the sexual abuse of young children. Such offenders will be punished even if their offences come to light many years later,” he said.

Top image from Canva (for illustration only)