SINGAPORE – A teenage girl who was sexually abused by her stepfather for two years sought help from a local law firm out of desperation, after other attempts to stop the assaults proved futile.

The stepfather was undeterred even after the girl locked her bedroom door and after her older brother tried to prevent the assaults.

After the girl submitted two messages to the firm’s website, saying that she was afraid to go to the police but was terrified and contemplating suicide, the director of the firm lodged a police report on her behalf.

On Feb 19, the 37-year-old stepfather was sentenced to 14 years’ jail and 20 strokes of the cane by the High Court.

He pleaded guilty to one charge each of aggravated sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault by penetration.

Another nine charges, for acts of abuse carried out between 2019 and 2021, were taken into consideration during sentencing.

In sentencing the man for his “horrendous” crimes, which started when the girl was 11 or 12 years old, High Court Judge Aedit Abdullah said the man had abused his position to exploit and assault the powerless and helpless victim.

Justice Abdullah noted that the man persisted despite being told to cease his actions by the victim’s mother and despite attempts by the victim, who is now 16, and her older brother, now 18, to stop the assaults.

“Human decency and basic propriety did not stop you,” he told the man.

The judge also commended the actions of the lawyers and staff of the law firm, which was not named. He said it appeared that the firm and the director did not wish to be identified.

“It is fortunate that those approached by the victim did more, and took steps to bring the matter to the attention of the police,” he said.

The stepfather moved in with the girl’s family after he married her mother in July 2019.

He shared the master bedroom with the victim’s mother, the girl had her own room, and her two brothers occupied another room.

In late 2019, the man started performing sexual acts on the victim.

Initially, she thought this was normal fatherly behaviour, until she realised that he did not touch her brothers in the same manner.

She told her mother about the inappropriate touching, and her mother told the man to stop. After stopping for about a week, the man resumed his actions, which gradually escalated in severity. 

He started going into the victim’s bedroom at night and making her touch him sexually.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Chua told the court: “The victim was frightened and confused, and would pretend to be asleep to avoid alerting the accused.”

On one occasion, he tried unsuccessfully to make her perform oral sex on him.

In January 2020, after entering the victim’s bedroom, he lay down on her bed and touched her. In early 2021, the touching became more intrusive.

In February 2021, after the man’s parents moved into the girl’s room, she slept on the upper bunk of a bunk bed in her brothers’ bedroom.

Her older brother slept on the lower bunk while her younger brother, who is around a year younger than her, slept on a mattress on the floor.

The stepfather was undeterred. He entered the room while both stepsons were asleep, climbed into the victim’s bed and abused her. Once, he tried to rape her, but she kicked him away.

The girl tried locking the bedroom door, but to no avail, as the man had the keys. In mid-2021, the man removed the door knob and lock.

In September 2021, the older brother was awakened by the movements of the bed and saw the man climbing up to his sister’s bed.

The next morning, when he asked her about it, she told him, “Papa disturb me”.

When the man kept returning, the older brother blockaded the door with school bags and boxes. But this did not stop the man.

The brother then started watching videos on his mobile phone with the volume turned up, to show that he was awake, whenever the man entered the room.

But the man persisted in climbing up to the victim’s bed to touch her inappropriately.

On Dec 11, 2021 and Dec 17, 2021, the girl made submissions to the law firm’s website, saying that she was sexually assaulted by her stepfather.

The stepfather was arrested on Dec 18, 2021, the same day the police report was lodged.