SINGAPORE – A girl was sexually assaulted weekly by her cousin, starting when she was six years old and he was 10. The offences took place at her aunt’s house, where she was left while her parents were at work.
On March 10, the perpetrator, who is now 22 years old, was sentenced to 10 years’ jail and the maximum 24 strokes of the cane.
He had been found guilty on Jan 15 of one count of rape and one count of sexual assault by penetration following a trial that began in May 2025.
Although the victim testified that she was assaulted since 2013, the perpetrator was charged over offences that took place between 2016 and 2018, when he was between 12 and 14 years old and she was between eight and 10 years old.
In sentencing, High Court Judge Valerie Thean said deterrence was the primary focus, and she considered aggravating factors, including the victim’s age and the degree of harm caused.
On the other hand, the judge gave a sentencing reduction on account of the perpetrator’s youth at the time of the offences.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Benedict Chan had pointed to the writings of the victim during her therapy sessions.
The victim said she thought the sexual acts were normal because after her initial complaint, her parents accepted that her cousin had accidentally touched her and ignored the incident. The girl also wrote that she became used to being ignored after a while.
Her father is the younger brother of the perpetrator’s mother.
The perpetrator, who was adopted at a young age, is not biologically related to the victim.
The girl, her two younger brothers and their domestic worker were left at her aunt’s house during the day. Her parents would take them home each evening after dinner.
All the incidents took place in the master bedroom, which is on the third floor of the four-storey house.
