Jail for 73-year-old man who raped, molested underage daughter

SINGAPORE – A 73-year-old man who raped and molested his daughter when she was between 10 and 13 years old was sentenced to 13½ years’ jail on Oct 19.

The man pleaded guilty in the High Court to a charge of statutory rape, two charges of aggravated outrage of modesty, and one charge of making a child commit an indecent act.

The offences took place between 2021 and 2024.

Six other charges for various sexual offences were considered during sentencing.

The man cannot be caned as he is above the age of 50. He cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, who is now 15 years old.

The court was told that between 2021 and 2022, the man watched pornographic videos on the TV in the master bedroom while the victim was with him.

She was then 10 to 12 years old, and he asked her to perform an indecent act on him, before he raped her.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Clara Low said the man told his daughter not to tell anyone; otherwise, he would be sent to prison, and she would never see him again.

Said the prosecutor: “Worried that what the accused said would materialise, the victim did not disclose this incident to anyone at the time.”

In 2023, when the victim was 12 to 13 years old, the man lay down next to her on the mattress and molested her. She froze with fear because he was stronger than her.

Between May and October 2024, when the girl was 13, the man entered her room, and molested her again.

Said the prosecutor: “The victim felt disgusted but did not react because she was afraid of being scolded by him.”

Between July and August 2024, he exposed himself and told the victim to perform an indecent act.

In October 2024, the victim told her friend that her father had been sexually assaulting her since 2021 and that she wanted to kill herself.

The friend informed their teacher, and the matter was referred to the Child Protective Service (CPS) under the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

On Oct 23, 2024, a CPS representative lodged a police report that the victim had been inappropriately touched by her father.

The man was arrested the following day, and has remained in remand since then.

On Oct 19, the prosecution sought a prison sentence of 14½ to 16 years, but did not seek additional jail time in lieu of caning.

DPP Daphne Lim said while the proposed jail term would result in the man being released when he is in his 80s, it was not a “crushing” sentence for a 73-year-old offender.

She added that his mature age was not a mitigating factor.

“In fact, despite his age and maturity, he had systematically exploited the trust that his daughter reposed in him as her father and took advantage of her to satisfy his perverse desires,” she said in sentencing submissions.

Defence counsel Joseph Yoong argued for a jail term of 11½ to 12½ years.