A 69-year-old man was sentenced to 20 years in jail on Monday, November 3, after pleading guilty to the repeated sexual assault and rape of his step-granddaughter, beginning when the victim was between nine and 10 years old.
The elderly man, who cannot be named due to a court order protecting the victim's identity, pleaded guilty to one count of raping a minor and another count of sexual assault by penetration of a minor, with 12 other charges taken into consideration during sentencing. The prosecution had sought a jail term of 18 to 20 years.
The court heard that the victim had been in the sole care of her grandmother since birth, as her father was incarcerated and her mother was not involved in her life. The offender moved into the unit with the pair in 2008 when he remarried the grandmother.
The sexual abuse occurred between 2016 and 2017, on at least nine occasions. The offender took advantage of times when he was alone with the girl, often after inviting friends over to drink alcohol.
On one occasion between March and October 2016, the man molested the girl and forced a sexual act on her. On another occasion, between January and June 2017, he raped the victim. The girl was left crying, and the man made a lewd comment before telling her to clean herself up. The court heard the victim felt "disgusted" by the acts.
The offences went undetected until July 2020, when the victim, then a teenager, was referred to a school counsellor for engaging in self-harm. She later revealed the history of sexual abuse by the offender to the counsellor.
The school reported the matter to the Child Protective Service, leading to a police report being lodged.
Following the disclosure, the victim was assessed at the Institute of Mental Health. A clinical psychologist found that she presented with trauma symptoms meeting the clinical criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), primarily in relation to the cumulative impact of the sexual abuse.
Her symptoms included persistent intrusive memories and images, avoidance of trauma-related thoughts, strong emotional distress when reminded of the incidents, and hypervigilance. She had been engaging in self-harm since Primary 5, using it as a coping mechanism for the stress caused by the abuse and anxiety over her grandmother's well-being.
The girl also developed symptoms of depression, including low mood, loneliness, and negative self-worth.
In delivering the sentence, Justice Aidan Xu described the offender's acts as "wicked," noting that he had used the victim's body to "satisfy his lust."
Justice Xu highlighted that while the offender was not related by blood, he was a family member by marriage and was entrusted with the girl's care and nurture.
The offender, who divorced the grandmother in December 2019 and moved out, asked for leniency in mitigation, stating, "I regret all these. What's done has been done already," and requesting to "be old" with his family in Malaysia.
Justice Xu responded that "little leniency can be shown" given the gravity of the offences and the "great harm" caused to the victim. He noted that the offender might pass away in jail but stated this was the inevitable consequence of his actions.
As the offender is over 50 years old, he is exempt from caning, which is typically mandatory for the charge of raping a minor.
