S’porean man, 68, sexually abused step-granddaughter, 11, given 11 years & 6 months’ jail

A 68-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to 11 years and six months’ jail after sexually abusing his step-granddaughter when she was around 11 to 12 years old.

The man faced nine charges, including molesting and sexually abusing a minor.

He pleaded guilty to three charges and was sentenced on Jul. 31, CNA reported.

One of the charges was withdrawn, and the rest were taken into consideration during sentencing.

The man and location of the offences cannot be identified as a gag order was imposed to protect the victim.

He cannot be caned as he is above the age of 50.

Mei Mei

In court documents seen by Mothership, the man was around 63 to 64 years old at the time of the offences.

He was the victim’s paternal step-grandfather, and he addressed her as “Mei Mei”.

The man resided with the victim, her parents, her three siblings and a domestic helper.

The accused and the victim had frequent contact.

Bedroom

In 2021, the girl and the man shared a bedroom alongside her two brothers.

The man ordinarily shared the bedroom only with the victim’s brothers.

However, she ended up sleeping in the bedroom with them for about a week as the family’s domestic helper, whom she originally shared a room with, had contracted Covid-19.

The man occupied the lower bunk of the double-decker bed in the bedroom while the victim occupied the upper bunk of the same bed.

In the middle of the night, the man noticed that the victim was still awake and fidgeting.

He then asked her why she was not asleep, to which she responded that she was unable to sleep as something was troubling her.

The man then told the victim to sleep with him on his bed, and she complied.

As she lay beside him, the man lent her his mobile phone, and she played games on it.

The man proceeded to molest her and escalated his advances by sliding his hand under the victim’s pants to touch her over her underwear.

He then removed the victim’s pants, engaged in a sex act with her and digitally penetrated her.

The man only stopped when she physically resisted his advances.

After this incident, the man sexually assaulted the victim on another occasion after the family’s domestic helper had recovered from Covid-19 sometime in 2021.

The man told the victim to go into the bedroom, and she complied.

He then proceeded to molest her and used criminal force to touch her.

Birthday

Sometime on or after the victim’s 12th birthday on Oct. 2, 2021, the man called her to go into the bedroom while she was watching television in the living room.

She complied, and the man closed the door after the victim entered the bedroom.

Both individuals were alone.

He then told her to lie down on his bed located on the lower bunk.

As the man had previously sexually assaulted her, she reluctantly complied.

He then proceeded to molest her and expose himself to the victim.

The man then asked the victim to touch him, but she refused.

He then forcefully grabbed her wrist and pulled it towards his genitals as she balled her fist up and tried to pull her arm away.

However, as the man was stronger than her, her fist ended up touching him momentarily.

He eventually let go of the victim’s hand and told her not to tell anyone about what had happened.

Classmate

The victim did not inform anybody about the incidents until she entered secondary school in 2022.

She initially kept the incidents to herself as she felt ashamed.

When she was in secondary one, she told her close friend via text messages that the man had sexually assaulted her.

Her friend advised her to lodge a police report, but the victim failed to do so as she did not want her parents to worry.

A few days after the conversation, the victim’s classmate, who was also her brother’s girlfriend, looked through the victim’s phone and saw the messages.

She then proceeded to tell the victim’s brother, who then informed his parents about the sexual assaults.

The victim’s stepfather confronted the accused, and he initially denied the allegations, stating that he had only hugged her.

The victim’s stepfather then threatened to contact the police.

Upon hearing this, the accused confessed that he had “done wrong”.

The victim's stepfather told the accused to leave the residence, and he moved out two days later.

At that time, the victim decided not to lodge a police report as she did not want to make her step-father feel sad for doing so.

Child Protection Services

On Jun. 7, 2024, a Child Protection Services officer visited the residence to conduct a children and adolescent trauma assessment stemming from the suspected physical abuse of the victim’s younger brother.

During the assessment, the victim disclosed that she was sexually assaulted by the accused.

The victim was informed that this was a reportable offence and that she should lodge a police report.

After being persuaded by the officer, on Jun. 27, 2024, she lodged a police report, alleging that the accused had sexually assaulted her.

Impact

As a result of the accused’s actions, the victim was sad, fearful, disgusted and angry.

She experienced recurrent thoughts about the incident and consequently suffered from insomnia, a loss of appetite, and harboured suicidal thoughts.

The victim also became afraid of males and had difficulty trusting others and focusing in school.

Fortuitous

She also exhibited self-harming behaviour on at least two occasions in May and June 2025.

The prosecution sought 11 years’ to 12 years and six months’ jail, with an additional 12 months’ jail in lieu of caning for the man.

They noted that the victim did not initially report the case and it was “fortuitous that the victim eventually came forward to report” the man’s actions.

The prosecution argued that the man “gravely breached the trust reposed in him” and that the victim was “vulnerable due to her age”.

They also cited the impacts on the victim as a result of the man’s actions.

"Our courts have always recognised the special need to protect the most vulnerable in society. Young children are particularly dependent on this protection, especially when they fall victim to crimes at the hands of adults whom their care is entrusted with," they said.