S’porean man, 72, who kept grooming & raping step-granddaughter since she was 9, gets 23 years’ jail

A 72-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to 23 years' jail for sexually abusing his step-granddaughter on multiple occasions over five years since she was nine years old.

The man pleaded guilty to three charges of aggravated statutory rape and was sentenced on Jul. 20, CNA reported.

A total of 18 other charges were considered during sentencing.

The man was in his 60s when the offences were committed, while the victim was aged between nine and 13.

He cannot be identified due to a gag order to protect the victim.

The man cannot be caned as he is above 50.

Grandfather

The victim referred to the man as “grandfather”.

Between 2018 and July 2023, he sexually abused the victim in his car and at a flat on multiple occasions.

In 2018, the victim routinely visited the man once or twice a month.

He would get her to go with him to a mall and promise to buy whatever she liked.

He only treated her this way as he wanted to be with her alone for sexual acts.

The man did not do this to any of his other grandchildren.

He would drive the victim to a multi-storey car park and sexually abuse her.

The victim would be rewarded with art supplies or other items she liked after each occasion.

Sometimes when the girl tried to resist, the man would tell her he would buy her an item she chose if she complied.

The victim would then give in reluctantly, even though she was uncomfortable.

The man also requested that she kept their sexual encounters a secret.

Art project

In April 2024, the victim was working on an art project related to the theme of “struggle”.

She drew the back of a human body with hands wrapped around it for the project and the art teacher asked her about the story behind the work.

The girl revealed she was sexually abused by the man.

The teacher then alerted the victim’s mother, who then lodged a police report.

Totality principle

The prosecution sought 23 years’ jail for the man.

They did not request imprisonment instead of caning due to the “totality principle”, which requires the court to take a last look at all the facts to assess if a sentence is justified or too excessive for there to be a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

The prosecution pointed out that the sexual acts escalated from molestation to rape, and he was emboldened after each occasion.

He had attempted to rape the victim when she was 11 to 12.

There was also evidence of premeditation, such as grooming the victim and getting her to be alone with him away from others.

Sometime between 2020 and 2021, the man even took her to his flat alone when other family members had gathered elsewhere for dinner.

The prosecution said the victim was traumatised and experienced frequent flashbacks.

A strain has developed between the victim’s immediate family and her extended family after the authorities were alerted.

Her extended family members, including her cousins, have ceased communications with her.

For each count of aggravated statutory rape, the man could have been liable to a jail term of between eight and 20 years.