Man, 26, who raped sister & sexually abused her since she was 5, sentenced to 18 years' jail and caning

A 26-year-old Singaporean man who raped his younger sister after sexually abusing her for seven years was sentenced to 18 years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane on May 18.

He cannot be named due to a gag order protecting the victim's identity.

The man pleaded guilty to two charges of aggravated sexual assault by penetration and one charge of statutory rape, with another eight charges taken into consideration for sentencing.

Abuse started when victim was five

The victim, now 19, is the man's biological sister. He is seven years older than her, and the pair had shared a close relationship before the sexual assaults, according to court documents seen by Mothership.

Both siblings lived with their parents and two older siblings in a one-room flat.

According to the statement of facts, the man sexually assaulted the victim from 2012 to 2019, when she was between five and 12 years old. He was between 12 and 19 at the time.

The abuse began when the victim was five to six years old, with the man touching her private parts. The acts later escalated into penetrative sexual offences.

The first penetrative incident took place when the victim was between six and seven years old.

Court documents stated that when she hesitated, the man slapped her on the cheek and told her to open her mouth.

When she resisted, he slapped her again.

He then warned her not to tell anyone what had happened.

The incidents usually took place when no one else was in the flat or when the others were asleep.

The last incident happened when the victim was 12, before she sat for her Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).

Repeated assaults over the years

Court documents stated that the accused had raped his sister on multiple occasions.

For one of the previous charges, the man sexually assaulted the victim sometime between 2017 and 2018, when she was between nine and 11 years old, and he was between 16 and 18.

The accused had called his sister into a bedroom, and when the victim understood that she was to engage in sexual activities, she removed her clothes.

He then sexually penetrated her with his finger.

The victim told him it was painful, but he continued. Court documents stated that he committed similar acts on multiple occasions.

In 2018, when the victim was between 10 and 11 years old, the man told her to go to the toilet with him while the rest of the family was sleeping.

He then told his sister to kneel in front of him and perform a sexual act on him.

The man also raped the victim in 2019, when she was 12, and he was 19.

Both the accused and the victim were in the bedroom when he instructed her to perform a sex act on him.

He then told her to bend forward so that he could penetrate the victim from behind.

After this last incident, the man told the victim that he was "too old to continue doing such things with her”.

Victim confided in school counsellor

The case came to light on Mar. 22, 2022, when the victim confided in her school counsellor and said that she had been sexually abused by her brother.

The counsellor reported the matter to the police immediately.

The man was arrested two days later, on Mar. 24, 2022, by officers from the Serious Sexual Crimes Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department.

The victim was later seen at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and the Child Guidance Clinic at the Institute of Mental Health.

A psychiatric report noted that she had suicidal thoughts, negative thoughts about herself and recurrent thoughts about the abuse.

She had also engaged in self-harm.

Court documents stated that the victim did not consent to all of the sexual acts.

When she resisted on several occasions, the man shouted at her, pinched her, punched her, slapped her on the cheek and pushed her.

She did not tell anyone earlier because of their relationship, and because she felt scared and embarrassed.

Prosecution: He should have been her protector

In their sentencing submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutors Jane Lim and Adelle Tai said the man was the victim’s biological elder brother, and should have been her “protector and guardian”.

They said:

“Instead of being her protector and guardian, the accused subjected the victim to unimaginable suffering in the safety of her home when he sexually assaulted her from when she was only five years old till she was 12 years old.”

The prosecutors added:

“Not only did he perform various depraved acts on her to satiate his sexual desires, he resorted to using violence to get his way with her.”

They argued that deterrence and retribution were the primary sentencing considerations, especially as the offences involved a minor in a familial setting.

The prosecution highlighted several aggravating factors, including the victim’s young age, her vulnerability, the man’s use of violence, his abuse of trust as her elder brother, the prolonged period of offending, and the significant harm suffered by the victim.

The prosecution also noted how the abuse had “absolutely devastated” the victim’s childhood, turning her family home “into a site of trauma rather than a sanctuary”.

The defence said the man had been very young at the time of the offences and knew what he had done to his family, CNA reported.

For rape and sexual assault by penetration, he could have been jailed for between eight and 20 years, and caned at least 12 strokes.