S'pore man, 71, who molested daughter when she was between 5 & 7, gets 16 months' jail

A 71-year-old man was sentenced to 16 months' jail on Jun. 29 for molesting his daughter more than 20 years ago, when she was between the ages of five and seven.

The man's name cannot be revealed due to a gag order protecting the identity of his daughter.

According to a report by CNA, the man had contested two molestation charges but was convicted on both counts of outraging his daughter's modesty.

What happened

The man had been convicted in July 2025 of molesting his daughter twice between 1999 and 2001.

According to an earlier report, the first incident occurred when the victim, who was unwell, woke from a nap at home to find her father molesting her.

In the second incident, the accused molested her when she was sitting with him in the living room, even though her mother had apparently asked him to stop.

During the trial, the victim said her father had molested her an estimated 50 to 100 times.

She confided in two former boyfriends about the abuse before moving out in August 2015 after she "snapped" during a family trip, saying she found it difficult and frustrating to be around her father.

According to CNA, the victim later studied overseas before returning to Singapore, and subsequently filed a police report as an adult.

She said she had been in denial when the offences took place, and even after she came to recognise that she had been sexually abused, she considered it "an extremely shameful thing" and did not want others to find out.

The prosecution had argued that the delay in reporting should not undermine the victim's credibility.

On the other hand, the defence had urged the court to acquit his client, claiming that the victim had told her mother about the abuse in order to obtain financial support to move out.

The defence counsel also said that the victim had attributed many "unfortunate events in her life" to the alleged abuse, adding she had previously been hospitalised after suffering mental breakdowns due to academic-related stress and romantic relationships.

Sentencing

During sentencing, the judge noted that the offences involved skin-on-skin contact and that the victim was very young and was the offender's biological daughter, CNA reported.

She added that though he had no prior convictions, he had claimed trial instead of pleading guilty and was therefore not entitled to any sentencing discount.

The defence had also sought judicial mercy, citing the wheelchair-bound offender's various medical conditions, including end-stage renal failure.

However, the judge said the prisons had confirmed that inmates could be referred to public hospitals for treatment and management of medical conditions where necessary.

She added that the offender would be able to continue receiving dialysis while serving his sentence.

The judge also found that no exceptional circumstances warranted the exercise of judicial mercy.

However, she said she was prepared to give some weight to his ill health in determining the sentence.

For each molestation charge, he faced up to two years' jail, a fine, or both.

He cannot be caned because he is above 50-years-old.

The man intends to appeal against his conviction and sentence.