S'pore man, 23, rapes younger half-sister, gets reformative training, sexually assaults her again after release

Just months after completing reformative training for raping his half-sister, a young man sexually assaulted her again at home.

He was allowed to live in the same house with his family, including his half-sister, after the release, Zaobao reported.

The family reportedly forgave him as well.

The man, now 23, was sentenced at court on Jan. 26 to 12 years in prison and nine strokes of the cane.

The victim is about six years younger than him. After being sexually assaulted by her half-brother twice at just 17, she suffered great mental and psychological trauma and has attempted self-harm many times.

Both the accused and the victim's names cannot be identified in order to protect the victim.

The previous offence

The half-siblings, who share the same mother, moved to Singapore sometime between 2016 and 2017, and lived with their mother and her new husband.

Not long after they started living together, he started sexually assaulting his half-sister, including an incident when he raped her on Jan. 29, 2020.

At the time, he was 17, while she was only 11.

He was sentenced to reformative training in January 2023.

After he was released a year later in January 2024, he was allowed to return to live with his family, but had to wear an electronic tracking device for three years.

The mother was also told by officials from the Ministry of Social and Family Development that she was to keep a close watch on the siblings and ensure that they were never alone together, according to Zaobao.

The mother instructed the family's helper to monitor them every day and keep her updated on their whereabouts.

Additionally, to keep them apart at night, the accused slept in the living room, while the victim shared a bedroom with the helper.

Tragedy struck again, however, less than four months into this arrangement.

The second offence

On the morning of Apr. 24, 2024, the accused, then 21, was getting ready for school.

He took the chance when no one was looking to sneak into his half-sister's bedroom and started sexually assaulting her while she was still asleep.

She was startled awake when he covered her face with a blanket and attempted to rape her, but she was so scared that she completely froze and did not cry out for help.

After a while, the accused got up and left the bedroom, and the victim finally broke down crying.

Later, the accused texted the victim, begging her to give him "one last chance".

She did not reply. Under the encouragement of a friend, she decided to report the incident to the police around 5pm that same day.

That night, the accused cut off his electronic monitoring device and did not return home.

It was not until the next evening that the police managed to arrest him.

Afterwards, the victim was medically assessed and diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and borderline personality disorder.

The judge, who called the case "tragic" at court, concluded the sentencing by saying she wished the victim would receive medical treatment as well as support from her family and community, so that she may have a brighter future.

Top images from Canva and Singapore Courts website