SINGAPORE – A man who proclaimed that “it takes two hands to clap” after he was confronted for sexually abusing his teenage daughter was sentenced to 17½ years’ jail and 16 strokes of the cane on March 5.
pleaded guilty in September 2025
to two charges of sexual penetration of a minor under 16, and two charges of exploitative sexual penetration of a minor between 16 and 18.
Nine other charges for other sex offences he committed against the victim were taken into consideration during sentencing.
The abuse took place from 2017 to 2020 when the victim was 13 to 16 years old.
In sentencing, Justice Dedar Singh Gill said the 40-year-old man’s remark that it takes two hands to clap implied the victim was also to blame for the sexual relationship.
Referring to a psychiatric report, the judge noted that the man appeared to prioritise his own sexual needs, and discounted or minimised the impact on the victim and rationalised his acts.
Justice Gill also considered the harm caused to the victim, noting that her feelings of hurt, helplessness and bewilderment are best captured in a letter she wrote to her father during the years she was sexually exploited.
In the letter, she asked her father if he ever cared about her feelings, and said he had always lied that he would stop engaging in sexual activities with her but never did.
