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SINGAPORE: A man who raped and impregnated his 14-year-old intellectually disabled stepdaughter was sentenced to 19 years and four months’ jail and 16 strokes of the cane on Monday (Feb 23).
The 48-year-old man, who is stateless, cannot be named to protect the identity of his victim. The case came to light after the girl complained of abdominal pains and was found to be pregnant upon visiting the hospital.
The hospital made a police report because she was a minor.
Doctors at the Institute of Mental Health assessed her to have an IQ of 42, which indicates that she is moderately intellectually disabled.
The victim gave birth to the baby and the child is currently with a foster family.
Even though she was 14 years old, her rapist observed that she behaved like a child who was about eight years old, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Sruthi Boppana on Monday.
Alongside her mother, her stepfather was responsible for disciplining her. “He counted on his victim’s silence, her confusion and her complete dependence on him,” Ms Boppana argued, stressing the severity of sexual offences against those who are intellectually disabled.
“True enough, as we see from the facts, the offences only came to light through the victim’s pregnancy.”
The prosecution called for 19 to 22 years' jail and 18 strokes of the cane for the girl’s stepfather, noting her young age, intellectual disability, and her pregnancy as aggravating factors in the case.
The girl was unable to understand sexual relations or explain how babies are conceived. Court documents showed that she could state that her stepfather “gave her sex”.
“What makes this case particularly egregious was that the accused was acutely aware of these facts,” said Ms Boppana, describing the man’s actions as a “calculated exploitation of her profound vulnerability”.
The man’s lawyer, Ms Mumtaj Banu of Mumtaj Banu Law Corporation, said he is truly remorseful for his actions and ashamed of what he has done.
“Words cannot undo the past or return the victim her happier days,” she said in mitigation, noting that the victim had gone through pregnancy at a very young age.
“He sincerely apologises to the victim for the irreversible harm she has suffered.”
Asking the judge to consider a jail sentence closer to the lower end of the range put forward by the prosecution, Ms Banu said the man hopes for a sentence that is “not too crushing” as he still wants to leave prison as a reformed person.
He wants to rebuild his family and is determined to try and fix their relationship, she said. Neither the man nor his wife has filed for divorce.
In delivering her judgment, Justice Audrey Lim noted the need for a heavier sentence to deter would-be offenders.
“When the accused began to touch the victim, she did not know what he was doing or how to put a stop to his acts,” she added.
Every act of rape inflicts immeasurable harm on a victim, and the man’s actions violated the dignity of her right to sexual autonomy, and left irretrievable physical, emotional and psychological scars, said the judge.
While the case is “undoubtedly serious” given the aggravating factors, it does not fall within the most serious instances of the offence, said Justice Lim, stressing that this in no way diminishes the gravity of the crime.
“I agree with the prosecution that this is a very serious and heinous case … Deterrence and retribution must serve as predominant sentencing considerations given the severity of the offence committed.”
HOW THE CASE CAME TO LIGHT
The man lived with his wife, two of their children and his stepdaughter in a one-room flat at the time of the offence. The girl, now 15, is his wife’s daughter.
As the sole breadwinner, the man knew she was heavily reliant on him and her mother to fulfil simple, daily tasks, the court heard.
At home, the three children slept together in the living room. In May or June 2024, the man returned home drunk at about 7am, after completing a shift working as a bouncer at a club.
The man saw his stepdaughter sleeping in front of the main door with her half-siblings nearby. He started touching her before eventually raping her.
In September that year, the victim went to the hospital because of abdominal pains, where her pregnancy was discovered.
After learning that her daughter was pregnant, the man’s wife confronted him, but the man denied having done anything.
The couple’s other daughter had told her mother about witnessing him performing sexual acts, but since his wife did not witness these acts herself, she trusted that he would not harm her daughter, the court heard.
Further investigations revealed that the man had impregnated the victim, and paternity tests after the baby was born confirmed this.
The maximum sentence for rape is 20 years’ jail, a fine and caning. The jail term can be doubled if the victim was in a close relationship with their rapist.
