SINGAPORE – An 18-year-old who sexually abused his younger half-sister multiple times was ordered to undergo reformative training for at least a year on Dec 4.

This means the offender, who cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the victim’s identity, will be detained in a centre where he must live according to a strict regimen that can include foot drills and counselling.

In November, he pleaded guilty to three charges involving the victim, including one count of sexual penetration. Five molestation charges were considered during sentencing.

In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Benedict Teong said the offender and the victim share the same mother, but have different fathers.

The youngsters lived in a one-bedroom Housing Board flat with several other family members, including their mother and two other siblings.

The woman slept in the bedroom, while her four children slept on mattresses in the living room.

The offender was only 14 years old when he molested his 10-year-old half-sister multiple times.

On five occasions between November 2019 and January 2020, he got up in the middle of the night and molested the victim, who pretended to be sleeping.

She finally made a police report on Jan 30, 2020. Court documents did not disclose what spurred her to do so.

The offender was made to move out of his home to live with his aunt to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.

This move was part of a family safety plan dated Nov 18, 2020, that Child Protection Services prepared.

The DPP had said that contact between the teen and his sisters also had to be supervised by a professional at all times.

On Nov 25, 2020, the police administered a 12-month conditional warning to the teen for the five counts of molestation.

He was told that he could be prosecuted for these crimes if he were to re-offend within the 12-month period.

Without Child Protection Services’ knowledge, the offender returned to the flat for weekends from June 2021.

The DPP had told the court: “The victim and her younger sister were told by their mother not to inform the child protection officer or school counsellor about the accused staying over.

“He would sleep in the living room with his... brother. The victim and the younger sister would sleep in the bedroom with their parents.”

The offender was in the flat in June 2021 when he asked the victim to have sex with him.

The victim initially refused but eventually gave in after he pestered her. He then performed an obscene act on the girl.

He struck again on Aug 22, 2021, when he crept into his mother’s bedroom while everyone else was asleep and approached the victim.

While their mother was asleep on a bed, the offender molested the victim, who was on a mattress, and sexually penetrated her.

The girl later told a classmate about her ordeal. The latter informed their school counsellor and the police were alerted.