A 70-year-old man in Singapore faces 33 charges for sexually assaulting 11 young girls over three decades, including his daughter, granddaughters, and nieces, according to prosecutors in the High Court on July 24. The victims were between ages five and 10 when the abuse began. The man, who cannot be named due to a gag order, pleaded guilty to 10 charges involving six victims.
Sentencing and Legal Proceedings for September 7
The defendant will be sentenced on Sept 7, with 23 remaining charges to be taken into consideration. Deputy Public Prosecutor Jiang Ke-yue has sought a jail term of 32 to 36 years. The prosecutor described the man as a “danger to children,” citing a psychiatric report that diagnosed him with paedophilic disorder.
Because the man is over 50 years old and uses a wheelchair, he cannot be caned. He is also currently battling myelofibrosis, a rare form of blood cancer.
Did You Know? The man has been imprisoned twice before for sexual offences, including a 2020 sentence of two years and two months for abusing three sisters at his enrichment centre.
Pattern of Abuse in Home and Education Settings
The man and his wife operated an enrichment centre from 1997 to 2021 and previously conducted home tuition. Prosecutors stated the four non-family victims were children who attended the centre or received tutoring from him.
One victim, who attended classes from 2006 to 2012, was molested at age six. Another victim, attending the centre in 2010, was molested at a water cooler at age 10. A niece was abused between 1995 and 1996 when she was nine to 12 years old; the man once gave her $50 and told her to keep the abuse secret.
Family Victimization and Coercion
The man admitted to assaulting his daughter starting in 1997 when she was six or seven. He molested her in his van and in bedrooms when his wife was absent, telling her he was “sayanging” her, a term for showing affection. This abuse continued until 2005, when he raped her at age 15.
In 2023, the man targeted his granddaughters. He locked a seven-year-old granddaughter in a room and showed her a sex video before assaulting her. He also molested his younger granddaughter while they watched TV. He warned the seven-year-old that she would lose her status as his “favourite grandchild” if she told anyone.
The cycle of silence broke on Aug 4, 2023, when the younger granddaughter told her mother she had been touched. This disclosure led the older sister to reveal her abuse, which subsequently prompted the man’s daughter to disclose her own history of assault.
Potential Legal Outcomes
Frequently Asked Questions
What specific charges did the man plead guilty to?
He pleaded guilty to 10 charges: one for rape, one for sexual assault by penetration, four for committing an obscene act involving a child, one for showing pornography to a child, two for unnatural sex, and one for outrage of modesty.
Why is the man not being caned?
According to court details, he cannot be caned because he is over 50 years old and uses a wheelchair.
How did the authorities become aware of the 2023 assaults?
The younger granddaughter told her mother on Aug 4, 2023, that the man had touched her, which led to the older granddaughter and the man’s daughter disclosing their abuse.
How should legal systems balance medical conditions, such as rare cancers, against the severity of long-term sexual offences?