http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,188944,00.html?
GRANNY'S PAIN
Grandkid 1: Raped by dad
Grandkid 2 & 3: Abused by uncle?
By Arul John
January 07, 2009
ST PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
A GRANNY was hit by a double whammy when she found out that three of her granddaughters may have been sexually abused.
Even worse, one of the confirmed culprits was her own son, who was jailed yesterday for raping one of his daughters.
His brother-in-law is accused of sexually abusing the other two daughters.
Madam Amy used to share a four-room flat with her son, James, his five children and his brother-in-law, Tom (not their real names).
We are not publishing their real names to protect the identities of the victims.
James' wife died of kidney problems in 2004.
Yesterday, the airport cargo hand pleaded guilty to one charge of raping his daughter, then 11, in December 2006.
Another charge of attempting to rape her that month was taken into consideration during sentencing.
He was sentenced to 16 years in jail and 18 strokes of the cane.
Her pain, her confusion
Madam Amy still can't come to terms with what her son had done. Her face was a mask of confusion and pain when The New Paper spoke to her yesterday.
She said: 'Could there have been some mistake? My son is such a thoughtful man and he always thinks of the children.
'He would talk to them often and buy them gifts on festive occasions, like birthdays. I still cannot believe he did this.'
Madam Amy, a housewife in her 60s, claimed she did not know what both men had done as she was either asleep or out visiting friends when the alleged incidents took place.
Tom, 40, is accused of sexually abusing James' two other daughters. He is now in remand and his case will be brought up in the High Court next month.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Wendy Yap said James' case came to light when the police were investigating the allegations against Tom.
According to court documents, the rape victim was at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on 24 Apr last year when she revealed that her father had raped and sexually abused her at home.
James and Tom were arrested that day.
Madam Amy said: 'The CID came to the flat and arrested Tom. When the officers asked where James was, I told them he was at work.
'The officers called him and asked him to return home to help with their investigations. When he returned home, they detained him too.'
Madam Amy said she was shocked when the police later told her what both men had been accused of.
She said: 'When I visited him in prison, he always told me that he was innocent. But during one visit, he burst into tears when his father, my ex-husband, scolded him for his foolishness.'
The court heard that James had woken the girl that night and told her to follow him to his room. He then kissed her and raped her despite her protests.
The girl, who is mildly retarded, later went back to her room and cried herself to sleep.
Later that month, James tried to rape her again when she was in the toilet.
But his youngest daughter walked in on them and he stopped.
Madam Amy said James' two sons are now living with a relative, and the rape victim is now at a shelter.
She added that his two other daughters are now living with foster families.
Begged for forgiveness
During the court hearing yesterday, James' elder son and eldest daughter wrote letters to the judge stating that they had forgiven their father and missed him.
In his mitigation, James, who is also mildly retarded, wrote a letter stating that what he had done was wrong. He also apologised for his action and begged for forgiveness.
It was a turnaround from what he told a psychiatrist after his arrest.
Then, James had said that he was 'rather upset'. He said he would not have been found out if his brother-in-law had not been caught for the alleged offences against his other daughters.
He claimed that on the day he raped his daughter, he had gone to a nightclub and become intoxicated.
He shared a taxi with a nightclub hostess and invited her home, but she declined.
James claimed that when he got home, he saw someone who looked like one of the hostesses. He waved at her and asked her to go to his room.
He claimed that the person pulled down her pants, but he denied having sex with her.
James said he could not believe it when his daughter told him the next day that he had raped her.
He insisted it was not possible since he was with the hostess, so he decided not to inform the police or his family.
Madam Amy said she has moved out of the flat and is living with her sister now.
She used to live in Yishun, but moved in with James after her second husband died in 2006.
She said she used to live with her younger son and his wife but left after she was unable to get along with her daughter-in-law.
Madam Amy said James used to earn about $900 monthly doing odd jobs and had only just started working as a cargo hand when he was arrested.
She said: 'After my son went to jail, he advised me to rent out the flat and move out in order to get money to support the family as there would be no breadwinner.'
The penalty for raping someone under 14 years of age is jail of eight to 20 years and between 12 and 24 strokes of the cane.
GRANNY'S PAIN
Grandkid 1: Raped by dad
Grandkid 2 & 3: Abused by uncle?
By Arul John
January 07, 2009
ST PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
A GRANNY was hit by a double whammy when she found out that three of her granddaughters may have been sexually abused.
Even worse, one of the confirmed culprits was her own son, who was jailed yesterday for raping one of his daughters.
His brother-in-law is accused of sexually abusing the other two daughters.
Madam Amy used to share a four-room flat with her son, James, his five children and his brother-in-law, Tom (not their real names).
We are not publishing their real names to protect the identities of the victims.
James' wife died of kidney problems in 2004.
Yesterday, the airport cargo hand pleaded guilty to one charge of raping his daughter, then 11, in December 2006.
Another charge of attempting to rape her that month was taken into consideration during sentencing.
He was sentenced to 16 years in jail and 18 strokes of the cane.
Her pain, her confusion
Madam Amy still can't come to terms with what her son had done. Her face was a mask of confusion and pain when The New Paper spoke to her yesterday.
She said: 'Could there have been some mistake? My son is such a thoughtful man and he always thinks of the children.
'He would talk to them often and buy them gifts on festive occasions, like birthdays. I still cannot believe he did this.'
Madam Amy, a housewife in her 60s, claimed she did not know what both men had done as she was either asleep or out visiting friends when the alleged incidents took place.
Tom, 40, is accused of sexually abusing James' two other daughters. He is now in remand and his case will be brought up in the High Court next month.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Wendy Yap said James' case came to light when the police were investigating the allegations against Tom.
According to court documents, the rape victim was at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on 24 Apr last year when she revealed that her father had raped and sexually abused her at home.
James and Tom were arrested that day.
Madam Amy said: 'The CID came to the flat and arrested Tom. When the officers asked where James was, I told them he was at work.
'The officers called him and asked him to return home to help with their investigations. When he returned home, they detained him too.'
Madam Amy said she was shocked when the police later told her what both men had been accused of.
She said: 'When I visited him in prison, he always told me that he was innocent. But during one visit, he burst into tears when his father, my ex-husband, scolded him for his foolishness.'
The court heard that James had woken the girl that night and told her to follow him to his room. He then kissed her and raped her despite her protests.
The girl, who is mildly retarded, later went back to her room and cried herself to sleep.
Later that month, James tried to rape her again when she was in the toilet.
But his youngest daughter walked in on them and he stopped.
Madam Amy said James' two sons are now living with a relative, and the rape victim is now at a shelter.
She added that his two other daughters are now living with foster families.
Begged for forgiveness
During the court hearing yesterday, James' elder son and eldest daughter wrote letters to the judge stating that they had forgiven their father and missed him.
In his mitigation, James, who is also mildly retarded, wrote a letter stating that what he had done was wrong. He also apologised for his action and begged for forgiveness.
It was a turnaround from what he told a psychiatrist after his arrest.
Then, James had said that he was 'rather upset'. He said he would not have been found out if his brother-in-law had not been caught for the alleged offences against his other daughters.
He claimed that on the day he raped his daughter, he had gone to a nightclub and become intoxicated.
He shared a taxi with a nightclub hostess and invited her home, but she declined.
James claimed that when he got home, he saw someone who looked like one of the hostesses. He waved at her and asked her to go to his room.
He claimed that the person pulled down her pants, but he denied having sex with her.
James said he could not believe it when his daughter told him the next day that he had raped her.
He insisted it was not possible since he was with the hostess, so he decided not to inform the police or his family.
Madam Amy said she has moved out of the flat and is living with her sister now.
She used to live in Yishun, but moved in with James after her second husband died in 2006.
She said she used to live with her younger son and his wife but left after she was unable to get along with her daughter-in-law.
Madam Amy said James used to earn about $900 monthly doing odd jobs and had only just started working as a cargo hand when he was arrested.
She said: 'After my son went to jail, he advised me to rent out the flat and move out in order to get money to support the family as there would be no breadwinner.'
The penalty for raping someone under 14 years of age is jail of eight to 20 years and between 12 and 24 strokes of the cane.
