Jail for 73-year-old man who raped, molested underage daughter

Said the prosecutor: “Worried that what the accused said would materialise, the victim did not disclose this incident to anyone at the time.”

In 2023, when the victim was 12 to 13 years old, the man lay down next to her on the mattress and molested her. She froze in fear because he was stronger than her.

Between May and October 2024, when the girl was 13, the man entered her room and molested her again.

Said the prosecutor: “The victim felt disgusted but did not react because she was afraid of being scolded by him.”

Between July and August 2024, he exposed himself and told the victim to perform an indecent act.

In October that year, the victim told her friend that her father had been sexually assaulting her since 2021 and that she wanted to kill herself.

The friend informed their teacher, and the matter was referred to the Child Protective Service (CPS) under the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

On Oct 23, 2024, a CPS representative lodged a police report that the victim had been inappropriately touched by her father.

The man was arrested the following day and has remained in remand since.

On Oct 19, the prosecution sought a prison sentence of 14½ to 16 years, but did not seek additional jail time in lieu of caning.

DPP Daphne Lim said that while the proposed jail term would result in the man being released when he is in his 80s, it was not a “crushing” sentence for a 73-year-old offender.

She added that his age was not a mitigating factor.

“In fact, despite his age and maturity, he had systematically exploited the trust that his daughter reposed in him as her father and took advantage of her to satisfy his perverse desires,” she said in sentencing submissions.

Defence counsel Joseph Yoong argued for a jail term of 11½ to 12½ years.