Convicted of sexually abusing step-daughter

[R y u]

Apr 27, 2011

Convicted of sexually abusing step-daughter

By Khushwant Singh

A SALESMAN was convicted on Wednesday on one count of sexually abusing his eight-year-old step-daughter and two counts of forcing her to perform oral sex on him in 2009.

The 30-year-old had testified that the girl was prone to telling lies, but District Judge Toh Yung Cheong found her to be an 'unusually convincing witness' because of the consistency of the evidence and demeanour.

The judge also said that the defence had failed to raise any reasonable doubt and that the credibility of the accused person had been impeached by the inconsistencies between his statements to the police and the testimony he delivered in court.

The man will be sentenced on Friday. He could be jailed up to 10 years and fined up to $10,000 on each of the three charges he was convicted of. Sixteen similar charges have been stood down.

The court heard that the offences were committed between Jan 27 and Oct 2 in 2009. The girl cannot be identified to protect her identity.

During the 10-day trial, the court heard that the girl, then in primary school, told her grandmother about the abuses in Sept 27, 2009. Three days later, the grandmother told the girl's mother.

The mother wanted to sure before going to the authorities but in the meantime, the girl confided in her school counsellor on Oct 2, 2009. Police were called in.

 

[R y u]

Apr 29, 2011

Jailed 10 years for sexually abusing step-daughter

By Khushwant Singh

A district court jailed a 30-year-old salesman for 10 years on Friday, for sexually abusing his step-daughter. -- ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

A DISTRICT court jailed a 30-year-old salesman for 10 years on Friday, for sexually abusing his step-daughter.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Chua Ying-Hong had asked for a stiff sentence as the victim was very young and the offender had acted with complete disregard for her vulnerability and naivety when he used her to satisfy his depraved urges.

The court also heard that the man had abused his position of trust and responsibility when he made the girl - then only seven to eight years of age - perform oral sex on him on two occasions. He was also convicted of one count of sexually assaulting her.

The step-father - who cannot be named as it would identify the victim - is appealing against the conviction and sentence. He was released on $30,000 bail.

During the 10-day trial that started in February, the court heard that the three offences were committed between Jan 27 and Oct 2, 2009. One occurred in the bathroom while two took place in the bedroom of the one-room flat. The girl was then living with her two-year-old stepbrother, her sales assistant mother, stepfather and grandmother.

Pleading for a lenient sentence, defence counsel Goh Aik Chew said that his client was 'a good, hardworking father' who toiled from dawn to dusk to provide for his family and mother-in-law. A pretrial conference would now be arranged for the sixteen similar charges which were stood down.